The Pale-Faced Lie

Hardcover, 352 pages

Published May 7, 2019 by Sandra Jonas Publishing House.

ISBN:: 978-0-9974871-7-6

(1 review)

A violent ex-con forces his son to commit crimes in this unforgettable memoir about family and survival.

Growing up on the Navajo Indian Reservation, David Crow and his three siblings idolized their dad, a self-taught Cherokee who loved to tell his children about his World War II feats. But as time passed, David discovered the other side of Thurston Crow, the ex-con with a code of ethics that justified cruelty, violence, lies—even murder. Intimidating David with beatings, Thurston coerced his son into doing his criminal bidding. David’s mom, too mentally ill to care for her children, couldn’t protect him.

Through sheer determination, David managed to get into college and achieve professional success. When he finally found the courage to refuse his father’s criminal demands, he unwittingly triggered a plot of revenge that would force him into a deadly showdown with Thurston Crow.

David would have only twenty-four hours to outsmart …

A violent ex-con forces his son to commit crimes in this unforgettable memoir about family and survival.

Growing up on the Navajo Indian Reservation, David Crow and his three siblings idolized their dad, a self-taught Cherokee who loved to tell his children about his World War II feats. But as time passed, David discovered the other side of Thurston Crow, the ex-con with a code of ethics that justified cruelty, violence, lies—even murder. Intimidating David with beatings, Thurston coerced his son into doing his criminal bidding. David’s mom, too mentally ill to care for her children, couldn’t protect him.

Through sheer determination, David managed to get into college and achieve professional success. When he finally found the courage to refuse his father’s criminal demands, he unwittingly triggered a plot of revenge that would force him into a deadly showdown with Thurston Crow.

David would have only twenty-four hours to outsmart his father—the brilliant, psychotic man who bragged that the three years he spent in the notorious San Quentin State Prison had been the easiest time of his life.

Raw and palpable, The Pale-Faced Lie is an inspirational story about the power of forgiveness and the strength of the human spirit.

2 editions

Stephanie Jane reviewed The Pale-Faced Lie by David Crow

A harrowing memoir

4 stars

The Pale-Faced Lie is a harrowing memoir of childhood abuse which includes several scenes of extreme violence. At times I was almost unable to keep on reading because what David and his brother endured was so upsetting. I would like to be able to believe that child protection services have improved considerably since David's experience in the 1960s, but sadly I know that there are still cases where children are forced to suffer in silence.

As an adult, David has penned an amazing and very readable memoir. I appreciated the contrasts between his child's eye understanding of his family's circumstances and his view from so many decades later. That his child self readily took on so much of the blame for his dysfunctional parents is heartbreaking. I felt strongly for his elder sister who lost most of her childhood to perform the role of surrogate mother to her three siblings. …

The Pale-Faced Lie is a harrowing memoir of childhood abuse which includes several scenes of extreme violence. At times I was almost unable to keep on reading because what David and his brother endured was so upsetting. I would like to be able to believe that child protection services have improved considerably since David's experience in the 1960s, but sadly I know that there are still cases where children are forced to suffer in silence.

As an adult, David has penned an amazing and very readable memoir. I appreciated the contrasts between his child's eye understanding of his family's circumstances and his view from so many decades later. That his child self readily took on so much of the blame for his dysfunctional parents is heartbreaking. I felt strongly for his elder sister who lost most of her childhood to perform the role of surrogate mother to her three siblings. David's descriptions of living conditions on the Navajo reservations are just as sobering as those of his home life. How on earth can it be considered acceptable to reduce whole communities to such a degrading existence?

At times The Pale-Faced Lie reads like a thriller, rather than a memoir. David has a great sense of a good story and knows just how to pace a narrative. I would have liked to learn information like what brought about his father's Cherokee claims, but overall this shockingly vivid memoir is a memorable read.