After the success of his brother Dave Pelzer's bestselling memoir, Richard B. Pelzer touched thousands with his own account of an abusive childhood. In his second book, Richard reveals how the horrific treatment he endured as a boy affected him throughout his teenage years. As an adolescent, he found himself turning to drugs--even contemplating suicide--as he struggled to separate and live an autonomous life, away from his horrifying family situation....

"Every autumn, Kenny Porpora would watch his heartbroken mother scribble messages on balloons and release them into the sky above Long Island, one for each family member they'd lost to addiction. As the number of balloons grew, his mother fell deeper into alcoholism, drinking away her sorrows every night in front of the television, where her love of Regis Philbin provided a respite from the sadness around her. When their house was foreclosed upon,...