This teenager's story is a universal story - a compelling and ultimately redemptive tale of escaping from guilt, fear and shame and embarking on the road to freedom.
At the end of A BROTHER'S JOURNEY, Richard Pelzer's mother and three brothers are moving to Salt Lake City, Utah. He has the choice of joining them - unwanted - or staying behind. But where can he live? What can he live on? Defeated - he follows them.
So continues Richard's alcoholic mother's physical abuse of Richard. But gradually he is growing up - not just in years but stature. His mother cannot treat him in quite the same way and mostly it is with neglect. Richard runs away and tries to commit suicide several times, and he has a stint with a foster home. He turns to soft drugs, then hard drugs. Finally he goes to live with John and Darlene Nichols who try to show him some family love. At the age of 21 he gets a full time job and tries to learn to be a big brother to the foster parents' children. And begins to get his life together…
An uplifting and inspiring story about someone who retains his religion and regains basic morals - despite everything going against him.
'Pelzer makes us aware of what can happen behind closed doors' - WOMAN AND HOME
'Gut-wrenching recollections of the horrendous years-long abuse inflicted on the author by his alcoholic, emotionally disturbed mother' - Kirkus Reviews
Author
About Richard B Pelzer
Richard Pelzer is the brother of Dave Pelzer, author of A CHILD CALLED IT etc. Richard was born fourth of five boys in 1965 in California. Until recently he worked in banking and the financial world. He is now a full-time writer.
