Dave Pelzer

David Pelzer
Pelzer speaking to Airmen while visiting troops in Southwest Asia.
Born	December 29, 1960 (1960-12-29) (age 50) Daly City, California
Occupation	Autobiographer, motivational speaker
Nationality	American
Notable work(s)	A Child Called "It"
davepelzer.com

David James (Dave) Pelzer (born December 29, 1960 in Daly City, California)^[1] is an American author, best known for his 1995 memoir of childhood abuse, A Child Called "It". Pelzer is the son of a San Francisco fireman, Stephen Joseph Pelzer (1923–1980), who was of Austrian descent, and Catherine Roerva Christen Pelzer (1929–1992).

Pelzer was born in San Francisco, California, and was the third of five boys. Now living in a different state with his second wife and kids. Pelzer wrote in his book as a child, he was continually abused, mistreated, and beaten by his mother, who thought of it as a game. The book documents how his mother starved him, forced him to drink ammonia, stabbed him in the stomach, burned his arm on a gas stove and forced him to eat his own vomit. His teachers stepped in on March 5, 1973 and 12-year-old Pelzer was placed in foster care. In 1979, he joined the Air Force and later became an author. Catherine Pelzer's fourth child, Richard B. Pelzer, has also written about having been abused.

Controversy

A Mississippi press article^[2] notes that "Pelzer has an exquisite recall of his abuse, but almost no recall of anything that would authenticate that abuse", such as any identifying details about his mother. The book does detail her familial background and relationship with her own mother. Pelzer's younger brother Stephen denies any abuse took place, and thinks David was placed in foster care because "he started a fire and was caught shoplifting."^[2] His brother, Richard Pelzer, is author of the book, A Brother's Journey, confirming much of what David has said and describing his own abuse when David was finally removed from the home.

Work

Pelzer has written a number of books:

Memoir

• A Child Called It (1995) ISBN 1-55874-366-9

Awards and recognition

• JC Penney Golden Rule Award (1990)

• California Volunteer of the Year (1991)

• Ten Outstanding Young Americans (1993)

• Ten Outstanding Young Persons of the World (1994)

• National Jefferson Award (2005)^[3]

References

1. ^ "California Birth Index", www.ancestry.com : "David J Pelzer, December 29, 1960, San Francisco County, mother's maiden name Christa"
2. ^ ^{a b} http://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/28/magazine/dysfunction-for-dollars.html?pagewanted=all
3. ^ "Dave's personal website", http://www.davepelzer.com

Persondata
Name	Pelzer, Dave
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	December 29, 1960
Place of birth	Daly City, California
Date of death
Place of death