Biography of Dave Pelzer, Child Abuse Victim and Bestselling Author

Dave Pelzer was one of the three most severely abused children in the history of California. The other two are dead.  When Dave was in first grade, for no known reason, his mother singled him out from his siblings and began abusing him.

The Beginnings of The Mother's Abuse

The abuse began relatively mildly. When he and his brothers did something wrong, Dave was the one to receive punishment, at first simply banishment to the corner of a bedroom. Then, his mother began spending her days watching TV and drinking beer. Instead of banishment, Mrs. Pelzer smashed Dave's face against the mirror, then made him repeat, over and over, "I'm a bad boy!"

Dave's father soon joined his mother in her drinking. He did not join in the abuse, but he did not to stop it. His mother often pummeled Dave's head violently for long periods. She eventually devised other forms of punishment, including making Dave run to school while his siblings drove, banning him from TV so he could do all the household chores, and holding him back in first grade to make him feel he was a "loser." Once she held his arm over the flame on a gas stove. Only because Dave quickly invented ways to stall her until someone else got home did he escape being forced to lie on the lit stove.

Escalating Abuse

Because his mother often refused to let him eat, he stole food at school to survive. When he was caught and reported to his mother, the punishment increased. He was not allowed to look at or speak to anyone, at home or at school. His mother began referring to him as "The Boy," then, "It." After school, once Dave completed his chores, he was banished to the basement where he was made to stand until he was called to clean off the dinner table and wash the dishes.

He had to sit on his hands at the bottom of the stairs for hours on end, fearing the consequences of moving. Eventually, he was made to sleep in the garage with no bedding. Dave was forced to drink ammonia and was locked in the bathroom with a concoction of ammonia and bleach and the resulting toxic fumes. He was forced to eat from his baby brothers' dirty diapers. His mother once nearly choked him to death. At school, he was unable to breathe well because of the swelling on his throat.

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