John Doe (born on December 29, 1960) is an American memoirist.
He is famous for sharing his life story through his heartfelt books. His narrative captures the profound struggles and triumphs that will deeply touch your heart.
Let’s read this article to know about his wife, kids, parents, net worth and a lot of other things.
Profile Summary
- Name: David James Pelzer
- Birth Date: December 29, 1960
- Birth Place: Daly City, California, United States
- Age: 62 Years Old
- Net Worth: $1.5 Million
- Profession: Memoirist, Autobiographer, motivational speaker
- School: Westmoor High School
- Father: Stephen Joseph Pelzer
- Mother: Catherine Roerva
- Brother: Richard B. Pelzer
- Marital Status: Married (twice)
- Marriage Date: June 1986(Phyllis Pelzer). 1999(Marsha Pelzer)
- Wife: Phyllis Pelzer (divorced), Marsha Pelzer
- Nationality: American
- Residence: Daly City
Who is Dave Pelzer?
Dave James Pelzer is the author of self-help and autobiographical books belonging to America.
Pelzer’s book on the story of his childhood named “A Child Called “It”, remained at the top of the New York Times Bestseller List for many years.
Dave Pelzer’s book popularity rose to every corner and in five years, Pelzer sold more than 1.6 million copies.
Pelzer was involved in controversies too because of some events stated in this book. These events were falsified both by journalists and family members.
Early Life of Dave Pelzer
Dave James Pelzer was born on December 29, 1960 in San Francisco, California. He was the second of his five brothers. He spent his early life in the City Daly of California.
Pelzer is the son of San Francisco fireman Stephen Joseph Pelzer and Catherine Roerva Christen Pelzer. Dave Pelzer was continuously beaten and mistreated by his mother in childhood.
Dave Pelzer thought of it as a game and wrote a book on the abuse he bore during his childhood.
Pelzer was placed for guardianship when he was 12 years old when his teacher stepped in on 5 March 1973.
Dave Pelzer was very talented and n 1979 at the age of 18, he joined U.S Air Force and provided services in the Gulf War.
The Journey of Dave Pelzer
Dave Pelzer, when rescued by his teacher weighed only 68 pounds. He was suffering from physical abuse and starvation. Pelzer suffered from cruel mistreatment for years.
Pelzer published a book “A Child Called “It”, and which he shared all the maltreatment he suffered from the age of 4 to 12 by his mother.
It describes his eye view, how his mother forced him to drink ammonia, starved him, hurt him by stabbing him in the stomach, forced him to eat his vomit, and burned his arm over the gas stove.
Pelzer described his father too in his book.
He stated that his father never took an active part in stopping or resolving the dispute between him and his alcoholic mother. Later on, in 1973, Dave was sent to a family who cared for him.
He justified the reason for publishing the book. He made it clear that how a child can survive if his parents are abusive.
Dave Pelzer’s brother, Richard B. Pelzer wrote his autobiography. A Brother’s Journey that highlighted his own experiences.
Pelzer’s journey of publishing books continued and in 1997, he published his second book. Pelzer’s second book was titled The Lost Boy: A Foster Child’s Search for the Love of a Family.
This book disclosed Pelzer’s teenage years. Pelzer portrayed the experiences as an adult in his third book in the series, A Man Named Dave: A Story of Triumph and Forgiveness. Pelzer told how he forgave his father.
Pelzer is good at writing self-help books too. His self-help book was named Help Yourself: Finding Hope, Courage, and Happiness was published in 2001.
In the discussion of his seventh book Moving Forward, Pelzer made it clear his message has always been about resilience.
Pelzer rose to fame after the publishing of his first book. Many shows invited Pelzer. Pelzer went to The Oprah Winfrey Show, and The Montel Williams Show after publishing the book.
Pelzer’s first book was so relatable to his audience that news article Orion UK Publishing’s Trevor Dolby told that every day they get 10 letters from people stating that the first book reflects their childhood.
Pelzer is the winner of two awards for “A Child Called “It”.
- In 2002 for Popular paperbacks for Young Adults
- In 2010 for Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults
David Pelzer, in his journey, faced criticism over his books too. In the article written for Slate, Plotz stated we cannot question Pelzer’s parents as they are not alive.
Dave Pelzer Wife
Dave Pelzer married Phyllis in 1986. The couple had a son together. Dave Pelzer and his first wife couldn’t go well together and separated in 1994.
In 1999, Pelzer married Marsha Pelzer. Marsha Pelzer works as an editor for Dave Pelzer.
Dave Pelzer was never loved by his family like a normal child.
Stephen Joseph Pelzer and Catherine Roerva Christen Pelzer are the parents of Pelzer. He was ill-treated by his mother all his childhood and his father never took action to rescue him.
Dave Pelzer Net Worth
Dave Pelzer has an estimated net worth of $1.5 million as of 2023.
Dave Pelzer is a famous autobiographer and memoirist. Pelzer’s book helped him become one of the richest memoirists.
Such a huge net worth requires constant hard work and passion to earn. A net worth of $1.5 million shows that Pelzer has strived hard to cover all his sad moments in the form of wealth.
We just hope you loved the biography of Dave Pelzer. Let us know your experience by sharing your feedback with us. It will be a pleasure for us.
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