"They are mostly women, mostly social workers, dressed in pants suits and long summer dresses.... ''You do such good work,'' he says, ''and you get no credit.'' An entire room of teased and bouffant hairdos nods in agreement."

All 40 chairs are occupied. ''Dave's books empower my 13-year-olds because he survived, and they think they can, too,'' Carleen, a social worker, says. A lone man wearing thick-lensed glasses says, ''I found the abuse fascinating.'' Traci, a country-and-western-looking woman, is sitting in the last row, sobbing. ''Dave's an inspiration to me,'' she says. ''I'm in therapy for abuse. 'A Child Called ''It''' was the first book I read in a while.''