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Editorial Reviews
This book chronicles the unforgettable account of one of the most severe child abuse cases in California history. It is the story of Dave Pelzer, who was brutally beaten and starved by his emotionally unstable, alcoholic mother: a mother who played tortuous, unpredictable games--games that left him nearly dead. He had to learn how to play his mother's games in order to survive because she no longer considered him a son, but a slave; and no longer a boy, but an "it."
Dave's bed was an old army cot in the basement, and his clothes were torn and raunchy. When his mother allowed him the luxury of food, it was nothing more than spoiled scraps that even the dogs refused to eat. The outside world knew nothing of his living nightmare. He had nothing or no one to turn to, but his dreams kept him alive--dreams of someone taking care of him, loving him and calling him their son.
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Inspirational story of resilience. A must read!
As a fan of memoirs, this is one of the most emotional books I have read. You will feel the anger and sadness...the feel of hopelessness as you read what this child had to endure. But, you also rally behind him-and await Mr. Pelzer's next books to see this courageous man overcome. Long after you have read this work, you will not be able to forget.
Along the lines of this book, "A Child Called It" and along with his other book that i have read "Lost Boy", you will also want to read "Nightmares Echo" and "Sickened". As each offers to you different perspectives of children that must endure the unbelievable and yet survive and inspire us with their works.
A Child Called "It" and the Lost Boy
A must for any library.
One child's courage to survive
With the exception of the first chapter, the rest of David's life is told as a flashback. The fact that the book begins with David's rescue gives you reassuring hope that soon his torture will end. The way in which David Pelzer writes, matures at the same rate as his age and character. In many instances, this makes one feel David's pain and anguish. This technique creates an imaginary sense of friendship between the reader and David. The author builds loyalty to the reader through his narrative approach. David Pelzer is uncomplicated and innocent, just as a child would be. His genuine, child-like dialogue draws you to his life, and feeds your compassion and desire to save him.
David was born to something commonly known as the "Perfect Family". His early childhood was spent on trips to the Golden Gate Bridge and Russian River where they would go camping for weeks at a time. He was born to a loving and devoted mother, a proud and brave father, and two brothers that only exceeded his own age by a few years. For whatever reason, he never explained what exactly had started his abuse. He mentions his parent's love of drinking, yet it was never mentioned to be at a cause of his dramatic lifestyle change. When the abuse begins, he mentions how he remembers his parents fighting. Yet even their marital issues never seemed to have gotten in the way of their love for their children. Throughout the book he never formally addresses a specific cause to the start of what he once thought would be the end of his life.
As his mother stripped him of his very own humanity, his spiritual self was all he had left to keep himself alive. His father, who he once thought would someday save him, gradually faded out of his life. When his dad finally moved out, David hated the world. He claimed that his far worst enemy was God, for not answering any of his prayers. David learned to hate anyone that knew of his situation, yet failed to help him. David Pelzer also learns to become his own hero. He knew that if he didn't have his own heard, he would die. Yet there were times when he even doubted that much. There are points in the book where he describes waking up and hoping that today would be the day she finally killed him and woke him from his never ending nightmare. This compelling story will take its reader from heart-wrenching torture and discipline, to David Pelzer's rescue and recovery of his own life.
The book opens with David getting rescued from his outrageously abusive mother, which is good because as you read the rest of the depressing pages you know that it will end sometime. All of a sudden one-day David's mother begins to abuse him. First it is just verbal and emotional, but soon it escalates into horrible physical punishments. His mother makes him eat his brother's dirty diaper, he can't eat dinner with the family, and she even stabs him one day because he didn't do the dishes on time. She plays terrible mind games with David, once she told him that his punishments were over and she loved him again. He believed her and then realized it was only an act when a social worker arrived the next day to see that everything was ok. It is amazing that David lived through all of his mothers abuse and can talk about it today.
The fact that Dave Pelzer was the author of this book makes it as good as it is. No one could have written a book about David's tragic childhood better than he. He retells of the horrible events with such accuracy and emotion that no one else could get it right. Only Dave knows what was said and how it was said. It adds a feeling to the story that makes it enjoyable to read, even though it is such a sad and depressing story.
The book reads like you are having a conversation with Dave and he is telling you the story. The story is written easily and straightforward, just about anyone who can read will be able to understand this book. The way David writes makes you feel so bad for him because he doesn't feel bad for himself. He tells how he feels about certain events but never feels bad for himself, which makes the reader more depressed for him.
This book gets a huge thumbs up. Anyone would enjoy reading this book, it has its depressing parts but you know everything turns out ok because David describes getting saved in the beginning. Even though it is terribly depressing, it is also entertaining to read, and I would recommend it to anyone.
A Child Called "It" is a fascinating book! If you read this you'll want to read it all the way through and never put it down. David Pelzer remembers every detail about his childhood life. The book is about David Pelzer's life when he was young. He was beaten very severely by his mom, but his brothers never were touched harshly. His dad didn't hit him, but also didn't say anything to his wife. He just watched. David explains all the hard times he went through. For example, he explains how he had to steal food from class- mates to avoid starvation. He'd have to run home from school and clean the house. His mom would make him strip down and get into a freezing cold bath with his head underwater, only breathing through his nose for 2 hours while his brothers and their friends came in, watched him, and laughed. He would sleep in the garage with only a jacket to warm him. One time his mom turned on the gas stove, had him take off his clothes and forced his body onto the stove. His mom would put disinfectant spray all around the garage and would stick 8 year-old David in there for hours, barely breathing because if he did, he would inhale the chemicals and get even more hurt or sick. The chemicals would burn in his throat and lungs. He called that the gas chamber. Everyday he'd have to come to school and make up another story his mom would tell him, to explain all of the burns, bruises, or whatever torture his mom put him through. It was said to be the third worst case of child abuse in the state of California. This book will make you want to cry and go back and help this poor lonely kid, who didn't have any friends because his mom wouldn't let him away from torture. But now David Pelzer is an adult and writes his experiences in A Child Called "It" and the other books in his trilogy. It is by far the saddest book I have ever read, but one of the best!
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This book is a perfect example of how the human spirit can provide strength in the toughest of situations. David's spirit helped him to survive through his mother's emotional and physical abuse. He refused to let his mother win. He had no one to help him so he learned how to fend for himself. His courage and determination saved him from all of the suffering that he endured at such a young age.
David is a living testament of resilience. His faith and personal responsibility helped him transform into an emotionally healthy and competent adult. A large percentage of emotionally and physically abused children become abusive in their adult years. The abusiveness could be a cycle, passed down from generation to generation. Their rage and pain of being abused could be turned on themselves or the ones they love. David, at a young age, showed strong signs of being a planner as well as a problem solver. These character traits, along with caring adults (nurses, teachers, social workers, etc.), help him to become resilient. David's inner strength helped him turn shame into pride and rejection into acceptance. A Child Called "It" sends an inspirational message of resilience and the human spirit. A person has the ability to leave their dark past and look forward to a better tomorrow. If David Pelter could do it than anyone can!