David Crow's True Story: Uncovering the Pale-Faced Lie

Tommy Burns: What an excellent read. The further along I got the quicker it went. Your story not only touched my soul it gives me the hope and strength to finish telling my story. I am grateful there are others out there willing to bare their truths in order to help others heal and to give them hope. Thank you for telling your story. Five stars all the way.

United States on Sep 30, 2023

Morgan: Throughout this book I had to remind myself that I was reading a nonfiction tale because the fact that a boy could survive this childhood is almost unbelievable. Author David Crow tells this story in a way that makes you feel so connected to him and has you cheering for his success the entire time. The grace he narrates this story with speaks volumes as to how genuine his forgiveness by the end of the story really was.

United States on Sep 28, 2023

billy flowers: The Pale-Faced lie is exceptional. I resonate with David on an emotional level I wasn’t expecting.

I was with him, craving love and approval from his father, only I was staring into a pair of different blue eyes. Ones that match mine.

I felt his chains in the iron grip of his father, examining the ones that still tie me to my own.

I stood with him smiling through the pain of carrying a burden that doesn’t belong to a child.

While he was being beat, I was being burned.
Still, we longed for their approval. If only to stave off their moods.

He helped me realize I’m still carrying that weight and that I don’t have to. I’ve yet to learn to let go, but he showed me it’s possible.

Thank you for an unexpected healing experience wrapped up in riveting writing.

United States on Sep 01, 2023

PHXAja: I recommend this book for anyone who enjoys Memoirs - and to anyone who wants a great read. It pulled at my heart and I had to just keep reading to find out how the author was able to survive and keep on living. I found power of control the father had over the children and especially David to be disturbing and evil and I cannot even imagine a life such as David Crow's. I was also stunned how cruel many adults in this story are -- the cruelty of their words is astounding. Moreover, the fact that David Crow kept living and fighting is astounding. This book is a must read --- and a reminder to me (and hopefully others) that you just don't know what people are going through or have been through.

United States on Aug 30, 2023

Glenda Toews: Mr. Crow,
I gave your book a five-star review for endurance, anything less seems...undeserved. Your life experience was disturbing, as a writer you captured that well. I imagine that writing had extremely difficult moments, I can imagine that there were some things you didn't want to go back to and remember but had to for the sake of a complete story. Thank you for doing that, for going there, for reliving it so that it could be put on paper.
For future readers...The casual style of Mr. Crow's writing is easy to follow, at some points repetitive, and at some points difficult to absorb, not in understanding, but because it's fully understood. Mr. Crow tells his story following the line of his life culminating with an informative and perfect ending that answers unasked questions. The mechanics of the book are 4 star. The fact Mr. Crow not only endured this life but wrote about it, is 5 star.

Canada on Aug 07, 2023

James Rodd: If I told you read this book by accident would you believe it? Well that’s exactly what happened. I was looking for a book by Nabakov with Pale in the title and saw the boy on the front page of this book and was intrigued. I read the first chapter and was hooked. What a wild story. Some parts so incredible that they seem made up. But I know they are not. I drew a lot of parallels with my own childhood with this book. A father who was evil. Adoption, run always, fights, madness, physical abuse…. None as bad as the author but still I understood the feeling of fear. In addition I recently discovered my father changed his name. After a stint in the national guard he went from Joseph Rodriguez Jr. To Joseph Rodd Jr. I can’t find any court records etc to support the change but it was the SSA that clued me into it as I researched our genealogy. Once the told me that, I was like a dog with a bone. I still don’t have the why’s, but I feel much like Thurston created this past for himself to excuse his behavior so did my dad. I really enjoyed the read. It ended up being cathartic.

United States on Aug 04, 2023

Kindle Customer: One should truly count their blessings. Having the resilience of a dandilion growing up helped you find a way or make a way as the story of your life.

Canada on Oct 08, 2022

Amazon Customer: When Covid stopped our weekly ladies tennis matches in Chicago, my group of girlfriends decided to create a zoom book club so that we could still get together! One of the ladies suggested we read, "The Pale Faced Lie" and then she surprised us with scheduling David to speak with us! What an incredible opportunity! The book was SUCH a good read (hard to read as it just tore at my heart strings, but soooo important) & getting to him through Zoom was just incredible! He's SUCH a survivor- breaking through the cycle of abuse & neglect rather than continuing the cycle. He candidly spoke to us about the power of forgiveness in his life and I am just so honored to have been given the opportunity to meet with him. I hope you all will read this book. He also donates a portion of each book sold to The Barrett House (a homeless shelter for women)

Canada on May 19, 2021

JaneL: I really enjoyed this book. The writing was so very well done, very appealing. There was a lot of disturbing descriptions of horrifying incidences that I can only imagine. There was a lot of pain, neglect and cruelty, and lots of living in substandard situations in very weird and strange households with not one parent along the journey who could do right by him, but yet the young David endured all of it with his spirit intact and forged on, no matter what, with unstoppable aplomb. His mother was cruel with neglect, and his father was insane and violent, and yet David searched for love from them . To me, that's what this book was about....rising above with tenacity and perseverance and guts because you have to, and loving no matter what. It amazes me what strong minded people can do.

Canada on Jan 16, 2021

Madeline: This memoir is so vividly written that you cannot read it in bits and pieces. Reserve a rainy weekend for it and read it with an open heart. The honesty is heart-tugging and you will find it hard to believe that it is not fiction. The sad part is that this type of child abuse is going on all across America. Between the lines and “in your face” is the back story of the accepted and ongoing abuse and neglect of the original Americans, specificalaly the Navajo. David has not written a tell-all about the indigenous situation and yet the story is there behind the curtains of his family’s turmoil. How he thrived and suceeded is a testament to the strength of his soul. Next time one of your teenagers whines about not having a car of her/his own, by them this book instead.

Canada on Sep 05, 2020