A Brother's Journey

Surviving a Childhood of Abuse

By: Richard B. Pelzer

Narrated by: Scott Brick

Length: 7 hrs and 10 mins

Publisher's summary

The Pelzer family's secret life of fear and abuse was first revealed in Dave Pelzer's inspiring New York Times best seller, A Child Called "It", followed by The Lost Child and A Man Called Dave. Here, for the first time, Richard Pelzer tells the courageous and moving story of his abusive childhood. From tormenting his younger brother David to becoming himself the focus of his mother's wrath to his ultimate liberation, here is a horrifying glimpse at what existed behind closed doors in the Pelzer home. Equally important, Richard Pelzer's touching account is a testament to the strength of the human heart and its capacity to triumph over almost unimaginable trauma.

©2005 Richard Pelzer (P)2005 Books on Tape, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Gripping....By looking back at, and then releasing, the image of the skinny, red-haired boy who wanted nothing more than his mother's love, Pelzer discovers his true spirit, which he shares courageously and selflessly here in the hope of healing himself, as well as raising awareness of and preventing child abuse." (Publishers Weekly)

I was left hanging…

My only gripe is the ending. I’ve never been left with so many questions.. Did he ever stand up to her? Was he ever removed from the home? Did they move? Was there ever a consequence of any kind? What happened to the rest of the brothers? Did he ever see David again? What is the author doing now? He spoke about his wife at the beginning but never brought her up again. I did not like the sharp ending at the end with no answers.
Hated the ending for These reasons

everything

I like how the brother told his side of the story and how he felt. it's a tear jerker.

This was a great book. Very heartbreaking.

I loved the book and Scott Brick was a great narrator. Very heartbreaking tale, but interesting to hear another perspective from the Pelzer household. Very inspiring to think that Richard and David survived all of that abuse.

Disturbing but well written!

I read David’s book many years ago after watching him on Oprah! I was in disbelief that this could go on unnoticed. Then to know a second child was left in the house for her to continue the nightmare was absurd! Regardless of what the neighbors thought, they knew David had been taken away! So how do you sleep at night if you haven’t done all you can to help all of these children? May this woman burn in Hell for all that she did to God’s precious angels! Thank you Richard for being brave enough to share this story and strong enough to continue on living!

Eye opening!

I read A Boy Called It and Lost Boy. This book provided additional insight into what the Pelzer home was like and kept me asking why all the boys were not removed from their home. I also wondered how none of the boys turned to violent crime. I read that David and Richard do not speak and I find that sad but I do not personally know them. I also grew up in a dysfunctional family with severe abuse and somehow our family always managed to escape the authorities. I am the oldest of five children and not close to any of my siblings. All of us turned to substances to escape. Only a couple of us are in recovery and the affects of our childhood have lingered. I am grateful that society has changed so much today where such abuse is not tolerated. I am also grateful that at least for my children the cycle of abuse ended. Some children are not so lucky. Be an advocate and report the abuse as soon as you suspect it even if it’s a family member or friend! You never know how you might be able to change a child’s life through your intervention. You can be the walls that speak for the child who has not yet found his/her voice.

more closure at the end tragic story....

needed more closure at the end but what a tragic story ... never stay silent if you know someone is being abused speak up

Tragic!

The truth of these circumstances is unsettling, to say the least. Would’ve liked to have heard more about the closure at the end of the book — what he and David learned about the mother’s history that helped to explain the level of sickness described in the horrific events, what happened to the other brothers — did they ever reunite, etc.

How that mother couldn't love 2 of her 5 boys

I went into it thinking how mean Richard was but as he told his story I felt so bad for him and his brother. I just kept waiting for someone to save him. I was so sad to find out that Richard took his life. Did him and David ever see each other after they grew up?

Heart wrenching, enlightening, and enspiring

I first heard the Pelzer family story about 5 years ago, when my brother bought Dave Pelzer's books. He read a bit of A Child Called "It", and I never forgot it!About 7 months ago, I came across all 3 of Dave Pelzer's books, and read every one of them! It floored me!
As I was browsing this site, I found R.P's book, and immediately decided I wanted to read it and here his side of it. It had the same effect on me as Dave's story did.
I admire, and respect both boys, now men, for having the strength it took to get through it, and be able to tell their story no matter how painful it must have been. I have so much respect for both brothers for stepping forward, and enlightening the public not only what a horrible and heartbreaking experience growing up in an abusive home was for them, but how heartbreaking, and just plain wrong, it is for the millions of children who live in abusive homes today.
Like them, I recognize that we can't go on pretending it will never happen to children we love, or simply hiding from it, or refusing to step up and at least try and do something about it. It's not easy for the one's telling, but it's that much harder for the children who live it everyday like the Pelzer brothers did.
If you read this, it is sure to have a profound effect on you, and make you not only think, but feel, and empathize with the Pelzer brothers and what they went through.

I would like to see Dave's books on Audible.com as well. They're both must-read's as far as I'm concerned.

Reality from a Childs perspective

while the outline provided through Audible didn't reflect the reality of the amount of chapters of the book, the book was an amazing read/listen. I was glad to see another version from a different perspective then Davids but was heartbroken by the details. I've always read David P. books as a way to make me appreciate the circumstances which I grew up with. I found that while I deeply empathized with him it gave me a deeper appreciation for what I thought was a crappy upbringing and how lucky I was to have only received the treatments I endured. my foster parents had to read his books as part of their "programming" which I supported. this book was just as sad and makes me ponder social services and their validation to only take out the currently abused child. though, I am hoping for more books from Richard as I now have many unanswered questions and now I have a life goal of meeting both of these men and speaking to them on a personal level. I would recommend this book to anyone who is unclear of the definition of abuse as well as anyone who has had a crappy life and blamed their past on why they are in their present. We children who were a part of the state do not need to become a negative statistic, this author and his brother are a true testimony to that. We can use our past to justify our failures or use them to accommodate our success but the choice is ours and ours alone.