"What I'm Reading"

Remember "A Child Called It?" by David Pelzer? I was afraid to read it when it came out, and still haven't but did check it out of the library today. Yesterday, in less than 24 hours I read Dave's brother Richard's memoir entitled: "A BROTHER'S JOURNEY"

Even though my adoptive parents did not deprive me of food, clothing, baths, and did not give me severe beatings, I felt a strong kinship with Richard. Richard's mother's mental illness and general style of parenting was extremely similar to my own mother. For example Mrs. Pelzer would give Richard a difficult chore to do without clear instructions. After he completed the chore with perfection she might say "You stupid bastard you did it all wrong, go do it again" R. described his mother as using Nazi like techniques so similar to Helen's technique. I remember being a few minutes late coming home from a friend's house as a 9 year old and my mother walking down the street to come and get me......................

"MARCH YOUNG LADY WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU I TOLD YOU YOU NEEDED TO BE HOME BY 8 P.M. YOU ARE IN HUGE TROUBLE WHEN WE GET BACK TO THE HOUSE!"

Richard wondered whether his brother david (who lived next to the washing machine in the basement) had any positive memories of his parents at all. I have zero positive memories of Helen. Like Mrs. Pelzer, Helen played Mrs. Cleaver while out in public, but in the house the general attitude was: "Leave me the hell alone, can't you see I'm watching t.v.?!"

I could go on and on about feelings I had as a child that were similar to Richard. In R's book he does something that I've done thruout my journals for 20 years. He says stuff like:

And when I got "home"

Mother's idea of "family" is:

I usually put home and family in quotes in my journals. I can't wait to read "A Child Called It"

Although "A Brother's Journey" was a great read, there was one huge dissapointment at the end of the book. He doesn't tell you what happened in his life after the age of 15, and whether he ever got to see his 2 brothers again, nor does he mention the outcome of his relationship with his mother...................................................