This book tells a story that is both riveting and hard to read. This man is an example of someone who by all accounts should not have made it through his childhood, but lives to tell of it. It is a story of hope and determination - a will to survive, though at times he lost his will to live. It is the kind of true story that makes you contemplate your own life and look for ways to appreciate your blessings. There is always someone worse off, and Pelzer was that someone.