Richard B. Pelzer
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| Richard Pelzer | |
|---|---|
 Author Richard Pelzer 2004 |
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| Born | 1965 San Francisco, California, United States |
| Occupation | Memoirist, Novelist |
| Nationality | American |
Richard B. Pelzer, (b. June 16, 1965 San Francisco) is a public speaker and international best selling author. Pelzer is the fourth of five sons of Stephen Pelzer and Catherine Roerva. He is author of A Brother’s Journey as well as the sequel entitled A Teenager’s Journey. He has also written several fictional novels.
He is currently married, with four children.
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[edit] Abuse as a child
Pelzer is the author of a number of New York Times best-sellers, including A Brother’s Journey, an account of the story of his young adult life.
Unlike his brother, David Pelzer, Richard was never taken away by the authorities. Pelzer’s books have been a resource for many educational institutions around the world, including a majority of the middle and high school systems in the United States.[citation needed]
Richard Pelzer often travels throughout the world speaking on behalf of children and parents in such abusive situations. He has spent the majority of his time and efforts “behind the scenes” and “out of the spotlight” promoting the safety of children and the rights of parents.[citation needed]
[edit] Controversy
A rather heated argument has been alleged between Richard Pelzer and his brother Dave Pelzer. Questions about Richard’s brother’s ethos have been raised concerning Dave’s heavily one sided depiction of his childhood. Numerous articles have been associated with Richard’s brother including Mail on Sunday ("Is He Making 'It' All Up?"), the New York Times Magazine ("Dysfunction for Dollars", by Pat Jordan, July 28, 2002), and the online magazine Slate ("Dave Pelzer - The Child Abuse Entrepreneur").
There is a notable difference between these two brothers. As siblings, they spent only a few years together as children, Dave Pelzer was rescued by state authorities around 1973 and Richard Pelzer was never rescued.
Richard Pelzer has been quoted on public radio and newsprint in the United States as saying “I would rather donate to a cause than ask them to pay tens of thousands of dollars to hear how great I am or how much good I bring to the world. I just can't find the need to self promote a farce. But then again we are very different people [my brother and I].
"I would rather have people hate me for what I am than love me for what I am not."
"I would never have the nerve to tell children or anyone for that matter, that I could fly them in my private jet and drop them off in Iraq only to show that their life isn’t as bad as others may have it. For one thing, I don’t have a jet, I don’t have need to travel to Iraq and I would never assume that someone else doesn’t have it as bad as I once did. That’s simply presumptuous and arrogant."
[edit] Works
- A Brother's Journey: Surviving a Childhood of Abuse, Warner Books (New York, NY), 2005.
- A Teenager's Journey, Warner Books, 2006.
[edit] Reviews
- Booklist, November 15, 2004, Stephanie Zvirin, review of A Brother's Journey: Surviving a Childhood of Abuse, p. 538.
- Kirkus Reviews, October 15, 2004, review of A Brother's Journey, p. 995.
- Library Journal, January 1, 2005, Antoinette Brinkman, review of A Brother's Journey, p. 132.
- Publishers Weekly, November 15, 2004, review of A Brother's Journey, p. 50.
[edit] External links
[edit] Resources
Contemporary Authors Online, Gale, 2006. Reproduced in Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Thomson Gale. 2006.
