"I'm alone. I'm hungry and I'm shivering in the dark. I sit on top of my hands at the bottom of the stairs in the garage. My head is tilted backward. My hands became numb hours ago. My neck and shoulder muscles begin to throb. But that's nothing new - I've learned to turn off the pain."The Lost Boy"the second installment of a trilogy. New York Times #1 International Bestseller By Dave Pelzer Will have you intrigued from the moment you read the first sentence. There's no doubt David wants to please " The Mother" and his father but is also looking to find himself. He wants to be "Good" but doesn't know how. Now his pathway on self discovery begins when he's taken from his mothers custody. It takes David years to truly discover his feelings about his mother and father. And gets help a long the way from the series of foster parents, social workers, teachers and friends. David spent the first nine years of his life being abused in "The Home" and once taken from his mothers custody he was moved to a series of foster homes until he was 18. David then goes through a rebellious stage and attempts to burn down a school. Which causes him to land in the San Mateo County Juvenile Hall. David finally finds his way, though the road is not without a series of bumps. He then finally finds the love of a true family his been craving for. This touching series will put tears in your eyes. I recommend this book to all lovers of stories filled with courage and beautiful emotions.

The second book in the Dave Pelzer trilogy is The Lost Boy, chronicling Dave’s life in foster homes from the age of twelve to eighteen. Again I have come to the end and feel immediately like I have to put a few other books in between this and the next and final book, A Man Named Dave. I don’t feel like another book is necessary but have decided to read it for the sake of completeness.

At the start of the book, Dave insists this one is written using the language and perspective he had at that age. He also insisted the same thing in the last book. This is not a completely accurate description as many times I felt the writing to be reflective and also some of it beyond the years of the under-educated teenager he was at the time. We catch up with Dave where we left him in the last book, in the passenger seat of a police car heading outside the city limits, where after medical examinations he meets his social worker and is placed in the first of five foster homes.

Living in a foster home is very different from where Dave has come from and throughout the years that follow he struggles to find his place in the homes and in school. He has a stint or two in a juvenile detention hall and is passed around a bit until he settles down and decides where he wants to go in life.

More than anything I found this book to be a testament to the hard work of social workers and foster parents. Their job is far from easy and yet they strive to remove child from abusive homes and place them suitably, and provide them with the help they need. The part of the book I found most worth reading was after the Epilogue, the section entitled Perspectives on Foster Care which contained statements from Dave’s foster mother, a juvenile detention worker and a teacher. I found this to be an eye-opening view on the foster system and I appreciate the acknowledgement of foster carers and other authors of works on being a child in the foster system. If this content could be expanded further it would make for a great read on the work of foster carers and an insight to the foster system. Just maybe leave Dave Pelzer out. He’s got plenty of books under his belt already and we all know his perspective.

As for the content itself, I enjoyed reading this book more than I did A Child Called ‘It’. But considering it is supposed to be an autobiographical memoir, some of the recollections from his life as described in the first book had facts that didn’t match up, which makes you question the credibility of the ‘memoir’. It could simply be due to the passage of time, he was only a child so of course he’s not going to remember everything and things get mixed up. I would have hoped that the editor would fix this up but clearly it wasn’t noticed or was ignored. These kind of things can be infuriating for a reader like me.

A slight improvement. 2.5 stars.

The Lost Boy is the sequel of The Child Called 'It', Dave Pelzer has abandoned the control of his abusive mother, but yet is in foster care-- or more like struggling to survive in it. Though this is the second book, it is still in the state where he is striving for something. A reach. For Love, like the first book.
I would recommend this book to those that have read The Child Called 'It' because they would understand the basis of Pelzer's story and how he resulted in the struggle for love of his foster families.

Definitely an emotional rollercoaster. First, you think things are going well for Dave that things might actually look up for him, and then it all crashes and this happened over and over again throughout the book. I liked it a lot, excited to read the next book.

As a CASA volunteer, this was fascinating to hear about foster care from a foster child's perspective. This opened my mind to the issues they face daily in and out of foster care. Children are AMAZING!

The Lost Boy

The book, The Lost Boy, by Dave Pelzer, tells a story of a boy named David and his personal experiences through the search for the love of a family. It is a sad story based around his physical and mental abuse that he receives from his mother. David is eventually placed into multiple foster homes, seeking for the safety and love from others. An important theme in this story tells us about the importance of staying strong and never giving up.

David received the strength to run away from home knowing it was his last chance of survival. What hurt him the most was the thought of losing his father, his hero, through the events that were about to take course. This young boy was placed into a bulk of foster homes and kept his head up through every change he encountered. David went through both rough and smooth patches because of the choices he had made, but eventually gains the confidence and strength necessary to overcome them all.

This is my favorite book and I highly recommend any age group to read it. It provides you with vivid details, making you feel as if you were experiencing these hardships with David. This book is written extremely well and is also very easy to follow along with. What stood out the most to me in this story was the fact that this young boy acquired the strength to never give up through every encounter he was challenged with and was heading towards a successful future. David is so inspirational to me and makes me personally rethink my hardships.
With every rough spot that I go through I am reminded that they could always be worse, and to be thankful that I do not have to go through the abuse and challenges that David did.

It is remarkable that this man wrote these books himself and is willing to share his story. This book would be a good example to younger children to not bully and be more aware that their peers could be hurting. This may also send a positive message out to those who are taking part in an abusive relationship, showing them that it is ok to seek help and that they are in for a brighter and healthier future. This is a perfect example of staying strong, never giving up through difficult life experiences, and that nothing is too hard to overcome.

"The lost boy" is a sequel to, "A Child Called It," and it continues where the first memoir left off. This, the second book, takes the reader through the author's years in foster care after being taken away from his...well, crazy mother. It is great to hear positive opinions on the foster care system since most of what is reported is horrible. Dave's strength, perseverance, and unshakeable spirit are extremely inspiring, and it is heartbreaking to learn of his experiences. This book is extremely wonderful, I recommend it to most anyone, and I can not wait to read the first book and those after.

The Lost Boy By: David Pelzer
Alyssa Cunningham
t1) “Born on December 29, 1960 in San Francisco, California, he was given the name David James Pelzer at his birth. He was the second-born among five siblings and was raised in the Daly City by his parents Catherine Roerva Christen and Stephen Joseph Pelzer. As a young child Pelzer was consistently abused by his alcoholic and mentally deranged mother. The severity of the abuse almost took Pelzer’s life on several occasions. It was not until he turned twelve that his teacher stepped in and placed him in a foster care. Social services deemed Pelzer’s abuse the most horrendous and gruesome of all such cases reported by that time in California. Pelzer was relocated to numerous foster homes before he enlisted himself in the U.S. Air Force at the age of 18. Two years later he got married and had a son, though his marriage fell apart a few years later. He provided his services in the Gulf War as a fighter pilot. He earned the title of California Volunteer of the Year as he received the JC Penney Golden Rule Award in 1990. By that time, Dave transformed into a highly accomplished person, earning numerous prestigious titles and awards. In addition to that, he was commended by the Presidents of USA.” ("Dave Pelzer." Dave Pelzer. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Mar. 2016.) He has since then written two successful books that bring to light the true journey of a foster child.

t2)This book was written in the 1990s in America. During this time period, the Gardner Heist was recorded as the biggest art theft in history, Germany reunited, the Hubble telescope was launched into space, the Soviet Union collapsed, the Cold War ended, internet use grew immensely, and the first Harry Potter book was written.

t3)This book takes place in various houses, schools, and government owned facilities in California, America around the 1980s.

t4)David Pelzer is the main character of this book. He is damaged, scarred, genuine, hopeful, and desperate. ‘The Mother’ is his abusive mom that is mentally ill, an alcoholic, and angry. Mrs. Gold is David’s social worker that is nice and caring. The main couples that David stayed with are the Cantazes and the . Both families are open to new kids and willing to do whatever it takes to help.

t5)The Lost Boy’s main theme is “A Foster Child Searches for the Love of Family.” Other themes include prejudice, journey through self discovering, and acceptance.

t6)This book starts out with a memory from “The House.” After getting brutally beat by his mother, David is given the chance to run away. This starts a chain of events that eventually leads to a trial between the state and David’s family fighting for his custody. The state wins, and David is moved to his first family - the Cantazes, where he first feels like he belongs. After breaking out of his shell through multiple incidents, he is moved to a juvenile detention center. Then, he was moved around California multiple times and developed a love for work. He worked day and night in his teenage years - always falling asleep in class. He found the family he finally called home when he was 17, and then soon turned 18 and joined the Air Force where he from then on built the rest of his life.

t7)One literary device used in this book is symbolism. The Russian River in the book symbolizes childhood happiness. The river gives David hope and something to hold onto during tough times. Anytime he is feeling rejected, he closes his eyes and thinks of his memories at the river before he was abused. Another literary device used in this book is foreshadowing. When David’s mom yelled at him to run away, it foreshadowed the fact that he might leave soon.

t8)One memorable quote from this book is, “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean for it to come to this. I didn’t mean to tell the secret. I didn’t mean to hurt the family. Can you ever forgive me?” (66) David says this to his mother before The Trial starts in order to find some final hint of love for his mother. This quote shows the reader the true heart of David. Even after his mother’s abuse, he still forgives her and is still seeking her love. Another memorable quote is “David, you have to understand something. You’re a foster child. . . . And because of that, you’ve got two strikes against you. You have to be careful of everything you say and everything you do. If you get into trouble, we . . . could lose you.” (142) David’s foster mom said this to him after he got in trouble. This quote opens the reader’s eyes to prejudice against foster children. It’s a real thing - and many people don’t even know it exists!

لا أزال مصدومة مما قرأته في الجزء الاول ....
فهل من أم تعذب ولدها ...!!!

غريبة هي الدنيا ....
اعجبني إصراره الكبير للمتابعة .....و عدم استسلامه للواقع

و ها أنا انتقل للجزء الثالث ....و تفاجأت بقدرته على الالتحاق بالقوات الجوية ....
و تحويله لتلك التربة المريرة بابا للنجاح ...

ما من عذر للقاعدين ....
ما من عذر لليائسين

This is a book that explains the kids way of thinking, tells us how hard it is for anyone to fit in especially if everyone else thinks that you are different. I think the moral of the story is to understand, care and love children more.

David is a perfect example of a child craving for attention. Any child if not given the proper attention and guidance, even the most angelic and the nicest child in the world, can do things that may hurt others, destroy some property or worst destroy his own future- unintentionally.

The story makes you cry without you knowing it. That's how good the book is in playing with your emotion. It opens the mind of the reader to the realities of: the emotional battle of a foster child, the difficulties of foster parents, the hard work and dedication of social workers, the role of a teacher in every child's life, and most especially the "no one can define your future except yourself" also "your past can make you stronger only if you use it wisely."

Great book :)

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اسم الكتاب: #الولد_التائه
المؤلف: #دايف_بيلزر
نوع الكتاب: سيرة ذاتية روائية
عدد الصفحات: 254
الدار: الدار العربية للعلوم
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ما زلت أجهل حقيقة مشاعر هذه الأم القاسية .، لا أعتقد ولا يوجد أم بكامل قواها العقلية تعامل ابنها بهذه الوحشية .، سلسلة مغامرات وآلام يمر بعد "ديفيد" في هذا الجزء .، ينتقل من منزل لمنزل للعيش كربيب في دور الرعاية .، يأمل فقط أو يبحث فقط عن الحنان في كنف أسرة يشعر فيها بذاته .، يشعر فيها بالأمان .، يشعر بأنه إنسان وليس نكرة .!
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يعيش وسط مجتمع مغلق ينظر لهؤلاء الأرباب - جمع ربيب - على أنهم أولاد سيئون وأشرار أو مدمني مخدرات أو سارقون لذلك هم في دور الرعاية بالتربية .، لذلك عانى "ديفيد" كثيراً من هذه النظرة .! لكنها فعلاً سيرة ملهمة جداً .، سيرة طفل تحدى وواجه الكثير من الصعاب من أجل العيش بكرامته وتحقيق ذاته .، ومن أجل كسرة خبز .، يبحث عن الأمان والحضن الدافئ بعد أن فقده من قِبل أمه التي من المفترض أن تكون له الأمان والحنان .!
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ستقرؤون في هذا الجزء مغامرات كثيرة ومصاعب تعرض لها "ديفيد" .، سـ تتساءلون عن طبيعة هذه الأم والسبب وراء معاملتها الوحشية والقاسية لابنها .، وكأن هناك سر وراء هذه المعاملة .، فهل سيكشفه الجزء الأخير .، أم سيبقى السؤال لماذا تُعامل الأم ابنها بهذه الطريقة ?! سأقرأ وأرى .!
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نصيحة اقرؤوا الكتب .، سيرة مؤلمة وملهمة .!
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كتاب رقم: 104 لسنة 2017 ❤️

" It takes a community to save a Child."