Dave Pelzer
Bay Area, CA
Best-Selling Author, Inspirational Speaker, Internationally Recognized Humanitarian, and Volunteer Fire Captain, retired
BOOK COVER
BOOK DETAILS
Pub Date: March 7, 2023
Genre: Inspirational / Mental Health / Self-Help / Spiritual
Publisher: Health Communications, Inc.
Page Count: 256
Format, ISBN, Price: Paperback 978-0757324543 $15.95, Audible B0BP9TDJJM $14,69, Kindle B0B57FT938 $11.99
NetGalley: https://www.netgalley.com/catalog/book/272165
ABOUT THE BOOK
#1 international best-selling author of A Child Called It, speaker, and humanitarian Dave Pelzer welcomes readers into the next chapter of his life—and examines why, after spending decades saving others in the military, as a fire captain, and an internationally acclaimed advocate, he is confronted with the need to save himself.
On the surface, Dave Pelzer’s life seems like an action movie—he’s walked the red carpet with celebrities and stood shoulder to shoulder with soldiers in Iraq; he’s flown top-secret missions for the U.S. Air Force, and battled wildfires in California as a volunteer fire captain. And now—on the eve of the 50-year anniversary of his rescue from a horrific childhood of abuse and into the safety of the foster care system—he reflects on the battles he’s fighting in his own heart. From a lifetime spent serving and saving others, can he learn how to serve and save himself?
Amidst the towering redwood trees and the serenity of his childhood utopia of the Russian River, Pelzer reflects on the courage it takes to move forward in your life, the peace to accept yourself, the vulnerability to strip yourself of facades, and the tenacity to carry on when life doesn’t turn out the way you planned.
For anyone who has been hurt, victimized, abandoned or feels alone, there is hope and there is always a way to rewrite your own story. Pelzer’s soulful and inspiring story will remind you to keep your faith, live with gratitude, and find that well of resilience deep within you.
TALKING POINTS
- Throughout Return to the River, Dave reflects on kind gestures and random acts of kindness made toward him. He can discuss how those have affected his life going forward
- How to proceed when you are faced with an overwhelming, unexpected situation or chain of events
- Dave can discuss how his faith has played a part in his ability to recover from difficult times
- Why Dave includes his own haunting love story and unexpected losses in the book
- Reasons why it's important to "talk it out" rather than swallowing or burying your feelings
- Ways to give yourself courage to take inventory of your life
- Dave can share tips on how, even though we all make mistakes, we can still feel worthy and why we deserve happiness
PRAISE FOR DAVE PELZER
"Dave Pelzer is a living testament of resilience, personal responsibility, and the triumph of the human spirit." — John Bradshaw, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Homecoming and Family Secrets
"A living example that all of us have the capability to better ourselves no matter what the odds... Dave Pelzer inspires us all." — Jack Canfield, #1 New York Times bestselling coauthor of Chicken Soup for the Soul
“As a therapist who works with men who have been abused as children I feel this book is a must read. Dave’s honesty, intimate sharing of his innermost world and insights will help survivors, partners, and those in the helping professions. This new book speaks to the older generation, many who are men still keeping their secret. How helpful to have these men have a story they can relate to, and see they too have been continuing their pain and now harming themselves. Well written, riveting story. Dave has done it again.” — Carol Teitelbaum, LMFT and Co-Founder of It Happens to Boys yearly conference
BOOK DETAILS
Pub Date: May 17, 2022
Genre: Memoir / Christian Inspirational
Publisher: She Writes Press
Page Count: 304
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 978-1647429003
Price: $15.99
ABOUT THE BOOK
In the age of social media, what does it mean to connect through a hand-written letter?
True Story: When Amy Daughters reconnected with her former friend from camp decades ago, Dana, via Facebook, she had no idea how it would change her life. Through social media, Amy learned Dana’s son Parker was at St. Jude battling cancer–devastating news, but what else do you do besides comment an “I’m so sorry,” nowadays?
But more than a comment happened, Amy woke up in the middle of the night and felt called in a way she couldn’t fully explain to write handwritten letters to Dana–someone who through time and distance, had become nothing more than several hundred other faces on her Facebook account.
When Parker died, Amy, not knowing what else to do, continued to write Dana. Eventually, Dana wrote back, and the two became pen pals, sharing things through the mail that they had never shared before. The richness of the experience left Amy wondering something: If my life could be so changed by someone I considered “just a Facebook friend,” what would happen if I wrote all my Facebook friends a letter?
A staggering 580 handwritten letters later Amy’s life would never be the same. As it turned out, there were actual individuals living very real lives behind each social media profile, and she was beautifully connected to each of those extraordinary, very real people.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
A native Houstonian and a graduate of The Texas Tech University, Amy W. Daughters has been a freelance writer for more than a decade — mostly covering college football and sometimes talking about her feelings. Her debut novel, You Cannot Mess This Up: A True Story That Never Happened (She Writes Press, 2019), was selected as the Silver Winner for Humor in the 2019 Foreword INDIES and the Overall Winner for Humor/Comedy in the 2020 Next Generation Indie Awards. An amateur historian, hack golfer, charlatan fashion model, and regular on the ribbon dancing circuit, Amy — a proud former resident of Blackwell, England, and Dayton, Ohio currently lives in Tomball, Texas, a suburb of Houston. She is married to a foxy computer person, Willie, and is the lucky mother of two amazing sons, Will and Matthew.
TALKING POINTS
- Lost Art of Letter Writing – The deliberateness of a letter, honest, believable and genuine, more than Social Media could ever be. Bringing back the beautiful connection of a hand-written letter.
- How can we teach our younger generation to value a pen & stationery?
- The stages of grief and how to remain a constant and connected friend experiencing the grieving process.
- The power of prayer and finding purpose.
- The evolution of friendships and connections due to social media.
- Work from home and the disconnect it creates–how letter writing can bring back more meaningful relationships.
- Women in Sports – Amy is a decades long sportswriter–a position with its own trials and tribulations as a woman in a male-dominated field.
TIMELY TIE-INS
December
- Read a New Book Month
- National Letter Writing Day – December 7
- National Christmas Card Day – December 9
January
- Self-Love Month
- Universal Letter Writing Week – Jan 8-14
- Hunt for Happiness Week – Jan 15-21
February
- International Boost Self Esteem Month – February
April
- Month of Hope; Day of Hope – April 5
- World Health Day – April 7
- Tell a Story – April 27
- Trauma Awareness Month – May
PRAISE FOR DEAR DANA
“Dear Dana is an inspirational memoir about caring for friends near and far by reviving a lost art.” — Foreword Reviews
“. . . a captivating study regarding writing letters to friends and rethinking how people successfully bond in the modern world. An intriguing and inspiring exploration of different forms of communication.”— Kirkus Reviews
“This is a book for anyone who wonders about the differences between a Facebook friend and a Real-Life friend and who yearns to see a person’s real life behind their Facebook image. It is also about the power of prayer and the abundance of kindness in our world. But ultimately, it’s about connection and how we are all connected when we come from love.” — Rivvy Neshama, author of Recipes for a Sacred Life: True Stories and a Few Miracles
“Captivating . . . I laughed and I cried as I followed the pleasures of real mail, and the lesson hit home: Whether written or spoken, our words matter. They have the power to illuminate someone’s darkest day.” — Laurie Buchanan, PhD, author of Note to Self: A Seven-Step Path to Gratitude and Growth and The Business of Being: Soul Purpose In and Out of the Workplace