Every person has a past. Whether scarred or intact, its effects resonate in our behavior, belief, thoughts, values and actions. How we grew up essentially is what defines our uniqueness. Sometimes the past can be filled with joy, laughter and fond memories. Yet for others, it can bring back horrid memories of pain, neglect and abuse. The book I will be presenting about is called The Privilege of Youth by Dave Pelzer. This is not the first book Pelzer has written. This book is just one of eight books Pelzer has written about his abusive past. In short, the Privilege of Youth outlines Dave’s journey from a lonely high school student to a successful air force pilot. Along the way, he acquires experience, joy and most importantly true friends and family. In Dave Pelzer’s The Privilege of Youth, the author conveys the message that only true friends and family help you overcome the horrors of your past and guide you through your future course of life. Their support is an invaluable necessity in dealing with the hardships of fitting in with the crowd.

When reading The Privilege of Youth, one will notice that the main character, Dave Pelzer, greatly stands out from his peers. He struggles to belong in society after a violent past. However, when he arrives at Duinsmoore Way, he meets Paul Brazell and David Howard, who soon become his best friends. Together, they helped Dave adjust to the neighborhood. As said by Dave, “The more the three of us carried on the conversation the more I realized I was part of something. I wasn’t the outsider who never fit in, who got tormented or beat up simply because I seem different. As the sun’s rays seem to fade, from deep inside, for the life of me, I couldn’t stop smiling.” – Page 41. As Dave moves into a new neighborhood, he feels even lonelier as everyone is a stranger. However, Paul and David come along and become his invaluable friends who gave him the experience of belonging somewhere. For a foster child that moves house to house, this is truly significant. This explains why Dave is smiling, since he is optimistic about the future after enduring a horrendous past. This connects to the position statement because it is proof that true friends and family are not always in blood and are people who make you feel like you belong.

The conflicts in The Privilege of Youth were all created by the events of Dave’s past. One example can be the person versus person conflict. Dave has said, “By the time I realized what was going on, I was too scared to do anything.” – Page 102. Dave Pelzer had a extremely abusive mother. When she got mad, she would force Dave to drink ammonia while his Dad helplessly watched. His deeply abusive childhood is what scars him, something that David and Paul gently coax out of him. David and Paul show absolute sympathy and help him let go of his violent past. This connects to the position statement because David and Paul acted as true friends and help him forget the horrors of his past.

Throughout The Privilege of Youth, Dave Pelzer recounts his past through a series of flashbacks. An example of this is when Dave said, “It’s a long story. Anyways it all started before kindergarten. Back then I thought it was normal to be treated that way.”- Page 102. Throughout the entire book, Dave constantly relates his present experiences with his past experiences. This technique is used because it gives readers more to relate to. Dave was living in the past. Now, his friends made him appreciate what a great future was waiting for him. This point connects to the position statement because Paul, David and Michael Marsh, who was Dave’s mentor, consistently supported him in times of need and helped him develop a successful career as a air force pilot, hence carving a bright future from Dave’s bleak past.

In Dave Pelzer’s The Privilege of Youth, the author conveys the message that only true friends and family help you overcome the horrors of your past and guide you through your future course of life. Their support is an invaluable necessity in dealing with the hardships of fitting in with the crowd. After reading this great book, I have learned a great deal about a serious issue in this world. I’ve learned that child abuse, which I previously thought was very uncommon, can affect almost anyone and can be very difficult to forget. However, letting go of your past experiences will be the pivotal moment in your life and can redirect you to a successful and enjoyable life. Also, I’ve learned that the best friends and family are not always in flesh and blood. What makes them true friend and family is the way they treat, always striving to cheer you up when your feeling sad and to lend a helping hand when your in need. Overall, I would recommend this book to teens, parents and would be parents. Teens can read this book whether to relate to their past or learn new things about childhood abuse. Would be parents can read this to realize the horror child abuse causes and would hopefully realize it is gravely wrong. Lastly, parents can read this to learn about the effects of childhood abuse, which would hopefully reduce the cases of child abuse over the world. I thank you all for listening to my presentation on Dave Pelzer’s The Privilege of Youth and I hope all of you have learned something new about a very old issue.