The Privilege of Youth: A Teenager's Story

The Privilege of Youth: A Teenager's Story
by Dave Pelzer

The Privilege of Youth: A Teenager's Story
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Book Summary Information

Author: Dave Pelzer
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2004-12-28
ISBN: 0452286298
Number of pages: 240
Publisher: Plume

Book Reviews of The Privilege of Youth: A Teenager's Story

Book Review: Sensitive, insightful, and inspirational
Summary: 5 Stars

After reading `A Child Called "It"', `The Lost Boy', and `A Man Named Dave', I felt almost as if I knew Dave Pelzer personally. That may seem strange, but after surviving an abusive childhood, I understand his way of thinking, his past insecurities, his need to prove himself, and his willingness to give of himself but being held back by the fear of being rejected. Now, after reading `The Privilege of Youth', which should be read after `The Lost Boy' as something akin to a missing chapter that was significant to Dave's development from a `Lost Boy' to `A Man Named Dave', I still feel the exact same way I felt after completing `A Man Named Dave'. Although `The Privilege of Youth' can be described as a 229 page missing chapter to `The Lost Boy`, that doesn't mean that it's not a completed work on its own.

The first chapter begins just as the previous three books, with a memory from Dave's past. This memory is about how Dave heard about the death of the man who Dave considered to be the father he never had, Dan Brazell. The rest of the chapter is dedicated to Dave's memory of the last time he saw Dan.

From the first chapter on, the book continues with Dave recounting the reckless moments of his life, the emotional and revealing conversations he had with his two best friends during his teenage years, and the countless hours he spent slaving away so that when he had to leave foster care at eighteen, he would have enough money to make it in the world. Although Dave supplied a great deal of information about his adventures in Duinsmoore in `The Lost Boy', we get to know even more about them in this instalment in the series. We also get to know more about the people that had such significant and lasting impressions on Dave, such as David Howard, Paul Brazell, the Marshes, the Howards, and the Brazells. What stood out to me most about this book were the conversations Dave had with Dan Brazell and Michael Marsh (Sarge) about his future (these might be described more appropriately as lectures). The conversations Dave had with his friends, David and Paul stood out to me as well.

As usual, after the epilogue, the book ends with Dave's touching acknowledgements to those that made the creation of the book possible and the time he spent working on it worthwhile. Then there are three pieces written by David Howard, Michael Marsh, and Mrs. Howard on the subject of Duinsmoore and the effect Dave had on the neighbourhood and the people who lived there. The book also includes the standard, but always interesting, Keynotes and About the Author pages.

This book is written in a way to inspire, amuse, inform, and help the reader heal, no matter what sort of hardships they have faced in their lives. I highly recommend it to anyone who was in the foster care system, had a traumatic past, has read Dave Pelzer's previous books, and/or needs a little guidance to get them through the present. I also recommend it, and the three preceding books in the series, to anyone who is looking to give someone a gift.

Dave Pelzer has been a role model for survival, overcoming seemingly impossible odds, and has grown into a sensitive, inspiring, insightful, respectable, and loving man who deserves all the happiness in the world for his generosity, compassion and courage. Dave Pelzer's books should be required reading for every single human being. If you haven't yet read one of his books, there's no reason not to and you could never possibly regret doing so. As it says on the Keynotes page at the end of the book, "Dave is a living testament of resilience, faith in humanity, and personal responsibility." He's truly one of the most remarkable human beings who has been brave enough to share his story with the world.

Summary of The Privilege of Youth: A Teenager's Story

From A Child Called ?It? to The Lost Boy, from A Man Named Dave to Help Yourself, Dave Pelzer?s inspirational books have helped countless others triumph over hardship and misfortune.  In The Privilege of Youth, he shares the missing chapter of his life: as a boy on the threshold of adulthood.  With sensitivity and insight, he recounts the relentless taunting he endured from bullies; but he also describes the thrill of making his first real friends?some of whom he still shares close relationships with today.  He writes about the simple pleasures of exploring his neighborhood, while trying to forget the hell waiting for him at home.

From high school to a world beyond the four walls that were his prison for so many years, The Privilege of Youth bravely and compassionately charts this crucial turning point in Dave Pelzer?s life and will inspire a whole new generation of readers.

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