Non-Fiction Writng Assignment

Nicole Fuerstnau

English 9 1st Hour

March 29, 2010

Non-Fiction Writing Assignment

The main idea of The Lost Boy shows how the author struggled with growing up
within the foster care system and his ability to overcome the abuse from his mother that he had experienced. And he learned, that he didn’t need to become a criminal in order to fit in with other foster children, instead he could just be himself. Dave Pelzer had a very difficult life and he could have chosen to go down the wrong path but he didn’t let his past stand in his way and became an outstanding citizen.
The author, Dave Pelzer, feels that being raised by foster care families was better than being raised by an abusive mother because if Dave Pelzer would have stayed with her he said that he would have been killed. Although foster care was an escape for him, it was hard for him to adjust to living in different foster homes. When he was an adolescent he would steal form local stores to try to fit in with his older foster brothers and his friends. As he grew up he learned that stealing was not needed to be liked and he felt apart of him becoming stronger. Overall Dave Pelzer is very grateful for the foster care system.
I feel that the main idea is true. Most people who have been abused are
traumatized for life and it’s very hard to recover from. Going from home to home can be hard on anyone and having to adjust to a new home when you finally get comfortable in the old home is very hard. Even though Dave Pelzer was badly abused he still wanted to go ahead and help kids to realize they could be anything. It makes me sad and upset when I hear about kids/teenagers being abused. I know that the foster care system can be tough but I’m happy that the children have a place to stay without getting abused.
The main implication for me is that I am grateful for my family because I have
someone who I know loves me no matter what. Also, after I read The Lost Boy, I have a desire to help troubled children and become a social worker. It opened my eyes to see that even if you’re in the foster care system you can still become something great. For example, Dave Pelzer went into the United States Air Force when in the beginning he had nothing. From reading The Lost Boy, I realized that when you see someone different, you should not judge them because you don’t actually know them.
The implications of the book to the city, state, country and the world is that Dave Pelzer can go to different places and tell his story to kids to give them hope and to make the children realize that no matter what life brings you, there is always a way that you can better yourselves. Dave Pelzer’s story will be heard by millions of people who will carry his message of hope to further generations.
The Lost Boy reminds me of other situations. For example, it reminds me of a story my mom told me about her roommate’s younger foster brother who had been in
several homes prior to living with them. Her foster brother was abused when he was a
toddler by his biological parents. Living with his biological parents was horrible. He would be thrown into a dryer and his parents would take the cigarette butts and burn him with them. Both young boys were abused by their parents and both were moved from foster home to foster home before a permanent foster home was found.
I have learned from The Lost Boy that you should always stay positive no matter
what situation life brings. I also learned that things can happen in life that you don’t expect but you can find ways to overcome it. I This non-fiction book helped me learn about the foster care system, social services, and the hardships of being a foster child. When I first thought of a foster care, I thought that all foster homes were abusive towards their foster child. Now I realize that not all homes in the foster care system are bad but that a lot of homes have loving and caring parents.