Lost Boy Essay, Research Paper
Book Report – ?The Lost Boy? by: Dave Peltzer
Dave Peltzer the author of ?The Lost Boy? tells his story from the time he left his
abusive mother and alcoholic father, through his experiences in five foster homes and
juvenile detention, and how he eventually made it into the Air Force. He was a defiant,
rebellious boy who, despite his background and personality, managed to endear himself
to many guardians, social workers, and teachers. Pelzer writes in an honest, sometimes
rambling, style; he is never bitter, and his story will find many sympathetic readers. The
main purpose for Dave to write this book is to show at what lengths children and
adolescents have gone to over come the unmentionable hardships of and abusive family.
The three most valuable things I have learned from this book are very hard to
choose. The book was full of many things to help me in my everyday life. Ranging from
how to deal with kids who have be through abusive situations to how kids of abuse act in
general. The first one has to be, Dave was very tactful in how he handled his thoughts and
feelings. Many children his age are running around chasing girls and hanging with the
guys. Not him he was studying hard and trying to be better than his parents were. He
would always squander away what he had, so no one could take what was rightfully his
and that includes his life. The second thing that was useful was how Dave was never
angry with his situation he would just look at it as another challenge. Many times through
out the book Dave would have to change foster homes after being fairly settled in the
way of living there. Most teens his age can?t handle a great deal of change but Dave
would just go with the flow and never bat an eye lash. The third most valuable thing has
to be his willingness to help. I would think that since no one would help him he would
not help anyone else. On the contrary, Dave was always helping with chores, making
dinner, and doing little extra things he didn?t have to do. I later found out through reading
the book that Dave?s willingness to help stems from his need to feel loved and wanted.
I can honestly say that I could never have gone through the painstaking trials and
tribulations Dave went though while he was in his teen yes. It take a special person to do
that and Dave is that special person.
PARENTING TECHNIQUES
Dave?s mother was a very troubled woman who for some unknown reason liked to
target Dave and blame him for any and all bad things that happened. His mother was and
Authoritative and neglectful at the same time. Some may say how can one parent be on
both extremes of things but there are a few instance with in the book which shows both.
For example Dave?s mother would make him do all the chores and never was aloud to
play. For some reason even if Dave finished what he was told to do in the time he was
told to do it he would not be fed or worse he would be part of his mother ?Games and
Test?. His mothers ?Games and Tests? range from putting him in freezing cold water for
5 hours at a time to making him sit on the garage steps with his hands under his bottom
head strait a head for up to 36 hours at a time no food, bathroom, shower or other needs to
live. Dave was saved from this horror when he was 15 but he was in foster care and the
parenting techniques ranged from authoritarian to indulgent, but anything was better than
what he had endured at his mothers house.
DELINQUENCY
Dave in his teen years was for the most part a very well behaved boy. He was
working hard in school and kept to himself for the most part. Although Dave did have a
small problem he like to take things with out asking or stealing. Dave?s stealing habits
stem from his basic survival needs that he instinctively put up when his mother would
make him go with out food, water, and basic sanitation. Dave at times would also lash
out at his foster families so that they would not get to close to him. In some cases when
Dave would lash out he would be put into another foster home and have to readjust to
things again. Dave usually liked to lash out he thought he didn?t need anyone just himself.
He could handle himself since he could handle his mother ?Games and Tests?. Dave?s
delinquent actions are fairly normal of abused and neglected teens. Dave was also just
being a normal teen trying find himself in a world that had not found him for almost 12
years.
DEPRESSION
Dave did have a great deal of depression in his life. He would think why does my
mother treat me like I am a piece of *censored*? Dave?s depression stemmed from he long ours
of being with himself. He had many hours, day, months, and years to think about what he
had done. His mother made him out to be an evil unwanted child who was worthless.
Dave thought the main reason his mother didn?t like him and his father wouldn?t talk to
him any more that he had failed as a son. Not till Dave was in foster care and his foster
parents brought him to a therapist did Dave realize what had happened to him was to his
fault and Dave was a normal boy. His mother was suffering from alcoholism and manic
depression and her outlasted were targeted at him cause he was his fathers pride and joy.
His father ignored him to please his wife (Dave?s mother). His father also started drinking
to drowned his sorrows.
SUICIDE
You would think that since Dave was so brutally abused and his own mother
stabbed him almost to death with out even drinking him to the hospital he would have
wanted even once to kill himself. I know that if anyone did anything like Dave?s mother
did to me and I had to change homes 7 different times and had kids picking on me cause I
smelled or I didn?t have a real mom or dad I would want to kill myself. Not Dave, he only
worked harder to live and please anyone including his mother so that in hopes she would
stop this unlawful actions against him. Not once did Dave even want to end his life
instead of thinking negatively he would say ?When I get older and out of here, I will be a
better man? I will be the man my father once was. Dave during his time at his mothers
house always held his dad on a pedestal. No mater what happened Dave?s dad was
Superman to him. Dave would think of flying away with his dad to a better place where
he would be a person not just a ?Child called ?It? (Peltzers first book). Dave also vowed
that if her were to kill himself that he would only be surrendering to him mothers wishes
and even though he tired to please his mother that is the one thing he would not let her
have was his well deserved life.
ANOREXIA-BULIMIA NERVOSA
The way Dave?s mother treated him is shocking. There was one way that Dave?s
mother had complete control over him and that was what he could and couldn?t eat. Most
of the time Dave was not permitted to eat. When Dave went to school he would steal
other kids lunches so that he could eat food that was not spoiled. Dave did get in trouble
for this sever times. After the third time Dave?s mother made him run home faster than all
the other children and vomit in to the toilet to see if he had stolen. Dave?s mother would
some make him eat rotten pork and chicken one every 3 weeks that is the only food he
would get and if Dave purged he would have another ?Game and Test? to do for his
mother. Dave had become so good at hiding what he had ate that he would vomit before
he left school so that he could at least enjoy his home or at least what home he had. Dave
at times would try to steal food that his brothers didn?t eat but if he was caught he would
have to go in the tub of ice water or deal with the pneumonia and bleach combination in
the bathroom with no ventilation. When Dave made is way out of his mother house into
foster care. Dave would try to salvage food so that if by chance the foster family would
not let him eat he would be able to have food. If Dave was caught with the food he had
taken and his foster family went to talk to him he would go to the bathroom and vomit so
that he would please them.
I feel Dave Peltzer has been through an unimaginable childhood and adolescent
life. I think the book is a heart felt story of a boys struggle for acceptance and aiming to
please those around him. I feel if anyone can over come what Dave has over come that
what he tells is accurate in the most scary way possible. Scary in a sense that anyone
could handle such hard ships and still be alive to tell about it. Dave was stabbed,
poisoned, neglected, beaten, uprooted from him home at age 15, bounced from foster
home to foster home without having a real place to call home.
I think that this book addressed the real things that happen to a child of abuse. For
there initial home life to the bounce from foster care home to home. The real issue in the
book that child abuse is everywhere in every degree. Some are hidden ways such as
verbal and some are so extreme that a child has no where to turn but to the abuse itself.
This book more than anyone could imagine my anticipation?s and expectations
were met 120%. The book was very descriptive and helpful on how to deal with teens in
crisis.
I would recommend this book and Dave Peltzer?s other two books. The main reason is
that the book describes Dave’s journey to find acceptance and a place to call home really touched
my soul. The tears I cry for all the kids out there that need a voice to be heard. Mrs. Gold is God
send She was Dave?s social worker she took the time to understand Dave?s story and be his voice
for him. We need more people in the Human Services field like the one’s who have helped Dave
in his journey. This book is a good book for people who work in any type of Human Service job
such as a YMCA or a foster family just to show at what lengths kids will go to be safe and saved.
“lost boy” Dave Peltzer 1996
Другие работы по теме:
The US Involvement In Vietnam And The
Philippines Essay, Research Paper The US involvement in Vietnam and The Philippines Introduction Ever since the ?New Imperialist? era, the United States of America has become quite a large Neo-Imperialist power, particularly in The Philippines and also Vietnam. In order to understand this report the term Neo-Imperialism must be explained, this is when one country gives aid to another country in which the country that recieves aid becomes independent on the helping country.
Lost Essay Research Paper reaching back for
Lost Essay, Research Paper reaching back for something that isn’t there you suddenly feel you no longer care your once soft feelings are hard as stone and in your decisions you are now alone
JDSalinger
’s Book Catcher In The Rye Essay, Research Paper Book Report Jamie Soetaert March 3. 2000 Catcher In The Ryeby J.D.Salinger J.D.Salinger’s book Catcher In The Rye, is important because the book makes you feel why you are important in life. It also make you feel that life is not as complicated as in the book. I’m glad I don’t have to go through what Holden Caulfield had gone through.
Mafia History Essay Research Paper Book Report
Mafia History Essay, Research Paper Book Report NO. 4 The Freedom Trap A letter to the author, Desmond Bagley Dear Mr. Bagley, I must tell you, that I really enjoyed readind your book. It was full of imagination, sophistication and it ended with a perfect interesting end.
Hatchet Essay Research Paper Hatchet a Gary
Hatchet Essay, Research Paper Hatchet, a Gary Paulsen masterpeice, was the topic of this book report. It was slow moving in developing characters in the beginning, but became more fast pace later on. Hatchet is a story about a young boy named Brian who has to overcome great obsticles including his parents’ divorce and being on a plane while it crashes into the deep forests of Canada.
Abe Lincoln Essay Research Paper Have you
Abe Lincoln Essay, Research Paper Have you ever read a biography book on someone and had to do a report on it? Well, I have! It was an outstanding book. Well, I am going to give you a report that I did in school to share with you. Here I go!
The Giver Report Essay Research Paper In
The Giver Report Essay, Research Paper In a community that is all the same lives a boy named Jonas,who discovers he is very different. Jonas is the main character in this book called The Giver. The theme of this book called The Giver is clearly represented by freedom, the right to make your own choices, uniqueness, and individuality are worth dying for.
Poem I Think About You Essay Research
Paper Sometimes when I think about how things could have been I can’t help but think about that day The way you looked so different, so sad When I think about it I want to die
Zlata
’s Diary By Zlata Filipovic Penguin Essay, Research Paper Zlata’s Diary By Zlata Filipovic Penguin Books c. 1995 Zlata’s Diary is a book about a young girl’s life during a war in Sarajevo.
Jane Eyre Vs Well I Have Lost
You. Essay, Research Paper Comparison Between: Jane Eyre and the poem “Well, I Have Lost You”… I believe that there are many parallels between the book: Jane Eyre and the poem “Well, I Have Lost You”. For example, in the poem, the author says, “I have lost you; and I lost you fairly; In my own way, and with my full consent.” The author tells of a woman who loved a man dearly, and unfortunately, because of that love, had to leave him.
Hard Times Essay Research Paper hard timesBook
Hard Times Essay, Research Paper hard times Book Report Author: Anita Lobel Annas family was a typical Polish family in the 1930’s. Thier story is that the nazis came to poland in 1939. They took all of the Jewish families Anna’s family happend to be jewish. Annas family split up to make it harder for the nazis to catch them.
Jurassic Park Essay Research Paper The story
Jurassic Park Essay, Research Paper The story Jurassic Park, by Michael Crichton takes place on a small island near Costa Rica, it s about a park full of dinosaurs created by Dr. Hammond. The
Gilgamesh Essay Research Paper Gilgamesh Essay over
Gilgamesh Essay, Research Paper Gilgamesh Essay over The Epic of Gilgamesh The main character in the book The Epic of Gilgamesh is Gilgamesh himself. Throughout the book, many things cause Gilgamesh to change. First, the quest for immortality after the death of Enkidu shows that Gilgamesh has changed. Gilgamesh has gone from arrogant to scared.
Prophet Essay Research Paper The Prophet
Prophet Essay, Research Paper The Prophet Period 4 Patrick Coleman In the prophet it does not tell you how to live, but it tells you how life works. I do not agree with everything that is said, but as a whole I like the message the book sends. I have taken my five favorite chapters, and broken them down for this report.
Quality Report Essay Research Paper Main characters
Quality Report Essay, Research Paper Main characters: The main characters are Uncle Beazley the dinosaur, Nate Twitchel the owner of the dinosaur and Doctor Ziemer the scientist. The setting is in Freedom New Hampshire and it is summer there.
To Kill A Mockingbird Effects Of Racism
) Essay, Research Paper To Kill a Mockingbird is a wonderfully written book by Harper Lee. It takes place in the 1930?s which was a time that was known for its racism. The following essay will explain how racism effected certain characters in the book.
Poem Breaking Me Essay Research Paper Breaking
Poem: Breaking Me Essay, Research Paper Breaking Me Everyday, I see your face, I wish that you?d stayed Don?t even know what made you run away It?s just the way, that you play the game
Shampoo Planets 2
Shampoo Planets – Book Report Essay, Research Paper Shampoo Planets – book Report The book I chose is Shampoo Planet, writen by Douglas Coupland. I chose to read this particular book because it was written by an author of my generation; generation X. Most books that were on the list were book written by people that were either dead or very old.
1984 Book Report Essay Research Paper Winston
1984 Book Report Essay, Research Paper Winston’s first act of rebellion is buying and writing in a diary. This act is known as a thought crime and is punishable by death. A thought crime is any bad thought against the government of Oceania. Winston commits many thought crimes and becomes paranoid about being caught, which he knows is inevitable (Greenblast 113).
Anne Frank 3 Essay Research Paper Anne
Anne Frank 3 Essay, Research Paper Anne Frank Anne Frank, a young Jewish girl going through hard times during World War II, writes in her diary about her thoughts and feelings relating to her life from her own prospective. Anne writes from an attic where she is hiding from the Nazi s. This is a book report on Anne Frank, Diary of A Young Girl by Anne Frank.
Book Report On Novel
“Uh-Oh” By Robert Fulghum Essay, Research Paper Uh-Oh SOME OBSERVATIONS FROM BOTH SIDES OF THE REFRIGERATOR DOOR Book By Robert Fulghum Report by (Your Name Here)
The Hardy Boys The Secret Panel Essay
, Research Paper Book Report The book I chose to read is called The Hardy Boys: the Secret panel. The main characters in this novel are the two Hardy Boys, Frank and Joe. Frank is a year older than Joe, and makes much smarter decisions. Joe likes to take risks and do things without thinking first.
Book Of Job Essay Research Paper The
Book Of Job Essay, Research Paper The Book of Job, including the epilogue, argues justice is retributive in its nature. Retributive justices states that a just distribution of fairness exists. Throughout the book, Job portrays the idea that good things happen to those who are good, while bad things happen to those who are bad.
A Thousand Acres Essay Research Paper This
A Thousand Acres Essay, Research Paper This is a book report about the book A Thousand Acres. Jane Smiley wrote this book, the grade level is 7.7 and it is worth twenty-seven points. This book is about three sisters who are each trying to be given a third of the farm corporation set up by their father. The aging father is trying to set up the corporation so that the daughters won?t have to pay inheritance taxes.
Book Report On Ss
“In Another Country” Essay, Research Paper In this paper the author will discuss with the reader the short story “In Another Country.” You the reader should pay close attention to the main theme of the story that will be discussed at length. At the end of this paper the reader will know a small amount about “In Another Country” and should understand the lost generation theme.
The Lost Generation Essay Research Paper THE
The Lost Generation Essay, Research Paper THE LOST GENERATION The lost generation has to be one of the saddest generation of people to have ever lived. They were destroyed not only physically, but also mentally and spiritually. The soldiers would have prefered to die because when they got back home from the war, they felt ?lost? and didn?t recognize anything.
The Randle Report Essay Research Paper The
The Randle Report Essay, Research Paper The Randle Report, by Kevin D. Randle explores UFO research in the1990’s. In reading his book I have gained much knowledge of how to determine whether
Volcanoes Essay Research Paper My Report is
Volcanoes Essay, Research Paper My Report is on Volcanoes. For a starter, I have a lay out of the plan for my report. Also I would like to follow a volcano in it’s path. Right now here is part of my report.
Flowers For Algernon Essay Research Paper Melissa
Flowers For Algernon Essay, Research Paper Melissa Jackson 10-17-99 Exploratory Thinking Period 3 ?Flowers For Algernon? Report ?Flowers for Algernon? is about a man named Charlie Gordon who is mentally retarded. Charlie signs up for an experiment that is supposed to make him smarter. He wants to be like every one else.
Paula Essay Research Paper Stephanie MedinaEnglish II
Paula Essay, Research Paper Stephanie Medina English II Honors May 30, 2000 Paula by Isabel Allende; 330 pp.; Cost: $14.00 When Isabel Allende’s daughter, Paula fell gravely ill, Allende began to fill her writing tablet with a story for Paula. Allende wrote so when Paula woke up she won’t be lost and will know what happened while she was in her coma.