A Child Called It: One Child's Courage to Survive

In the beginning of the book A Child Called It, Dave Pelzer has a normal, peaceful childhood. Dave enjoys his day to day life by going on family trips with his two older brothers and loving, affectionate parents. But one day, while in elementary school Dave’s life takes a drastic change for the worst. Both of Dave’s parents excessively begin to drink, and his mother begins to exhibit irrational behavior towards Dave, even while she is sober. Dave’s mother begins to administer severe, cruel punishments and playing horrific and cruel mind games. While the older brothers and the children that come later are spoiled and loved. Soon Dave becomes the family servant. Dave’s mother tortures and beats him, she also refused to let Dave participate, in any family activities, including meals. Dave’s father fails to stand up for Dave, even when he sees the physical and emotional anguish his son endures by his mother. Dave, soon after no longer has a name; they simply call him The Boy. Dave’s mother uses food as a weapon and regularly starves Dave. At one point his mother prevents Dave from eating for ten days. Due to this Dave repeatedly gets into trouble at school for eating out of trash cans and stealing food. At the end of each school day his mother makes him vomit, so she can see if Dave ate anything she didn’t approve of. Dave’s mother also forces him to wear the same smelly cloths day after day. But because Dave was forced to wear the same cloths day after day and because of his stealing food, Dave quickly become an outcast at school as a student. Dave’s mother also coaches Dave about what to say when teachers and administrators ask about the bruises on his body. Dave’s mother injures him severely a few times, including the time she stabs him in the stomach, and then refuses to give or get him medical attention. One day, Dave’s mother tries to lovingly apologize to him for all of the horrible things that have happened to him, and asks if they can start over again. Dave was thrilled at the prospect of being welcomed back into the family. But, just in as little as a few days of joy and acceptance, Dave’s family is visited by a child protective agent. Dave finally realizes that his mother was only trying to humor him so he wouldn’t tell the truth about the abuse. After the agent leaves, Dave’s life returns to its abusive state. Both of Dave’s older and younger brothers, terrorize and despise Dave, as well. Dave’s father continues to be too intimidated by Mother to stand up for or rescue him. Dave at this point no longer needs to hear his mother make him repeat himself, by saying “I hate myself! I hate myself”. Dave already hates himself for his weakness, and he feels nothing but anger for everyone around him. Dave’s classmates beat and torture him emotionally. His classmates and his mother all tell Dave that they wished he were dead. Dave’s father eventually leaves, and that makes Dave unprotected from his mother. Through the years of torment, Dave develops strategies for staying alive and avoiding his mother’s wrath of fury. While Dave was in the fifth grade, his teachers, the administrators, and the school nurse decided that they could no longer let Dave suffer in silence any longer. The police were called, and Dave was then removed from the care of his mother. Dave is finally free. I loved this book and therefore have given it a five-star rating. The part that I most liked in this book is the part where Dave was finally and successfully rescued. I find that the author’s style of writing is very unique. I can honestly say that I can relate to this book, because I like Dave am a victim and a survivor of child abuse. A Child Called It: One Child's Courage to Survive

This book broke my heart, made me angry, but most of all made me realize that these sorts of things happen everyday, behind closed doors, with no one knowing. I love kids and kids love me. No kid should endure what he went through. I was so angry at this child’s mother. In saying that, it’s a great read, and made me pay more attention to the people around me. Don’t be afraid to challenge when you think a child is being abused. Force the narrative and save the next child.

I bought this book a couple years ago but never had a chance to read it til recently. Very sad story of a little boy in a dysfunctional family who was horribly mistreated, neglected, and abused by his mentally ill and evil mother. It's amazing he survived and didn't turn into a serial killer or something. His mother was a real piece of work and sadly was never made to pay for her crimes, but his brothers were creeps, too. Gramma wasn't any better. So sad that this tormented child had no one to turn to and no one he could trust. My childhood wasn't all sunshine and roses, but I can't imagine living with the daily horrors this little boy was forced to endure. I'm glad that some of the people at school finally started to pay attention and made an attempt to help him, but it was too little, too late. Thank God he was eventually removed from this hellish environment by age 12. I have since read the other 2 sequels to this book and Dave's other books. (He needs a better editor.) I hope sharing his story has been cathartic for him. It seems his life as an adult has not been easy or without heartache, but I pray God will give him perfect healing and release him from the pain of his unfortunate past. He is a survivor. I hope the people in his life will quit taking advantage of him and that his years will be peaceful and full of joy and happiness. I want to recommend a couple similar true abuse/survival stories by authors in the UK that were better and even more compelling: 1. Peter Roche's book "Unloved" will break your heart! He was pushed out the door and made to fend for himself while he was still in diapers. The pitiful photo on the book's cover is a picture of him taken as a baby that was used as propoganda by the UK in their attempts to make a show of helping the poor and needy back in the '60's, although they did not help this poor child or his family in the least! How this little boy survived and lived to tell about it, I will never know, but I'm so glad he did. It should be required reading for anybody 14 and up. We all have so much to be thankful for, while this child had nothing and no one to love him. I read his book while on the beach this summer and I couldn't put it down. Finished it in a day. 2. Kat Ward's series of Keri books (there are 5). Her childhood in the UK was horrific. Her mother was evil incarnate and her step-father was just as evil. She was mistreated in the worst possible ways and when she was finally able to tell someone she trusted, her mother made sure nobody believed her and made her life a living hell. Even once she was in the system, she was not safe from abuse or from her mother's cruelty. I bought the Kindle versions and read through the entire series in a week's time (they were each around 500+ pages long). I didn't get much sleep that week, but couldn't put them down. She is an excellent writer and made me feel like I was right there with her the whole time. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time and am anxiously hoping she will put out a part 6.

A really good book. I couldn't put it down. Definitely will recommend this book.

The book had several blank pages in the middle. Luckily, my daughter was able to download a pdf of the book to read those missing pages.

A difficult story of extreme childhood abuse. But, worth the read... how resilient the human mind and heart are to overcome.

I got this because we read it in high school. Definitely the saddest book I have ever read but it was a great comeback story. Makes you great full for the little things in life.

This book was a tearjerker. If you have ever read this book you will understand how heartbreaking it was. I first read this book in elementary school. This book shows that it can be anyone to abuse a child and the love for the person abusing the child is still there but they don't understand why this is happening to them and what they did wrong. People can change in a heartbeat and doesn't matter who they are to you. Dave was afraid to tell anyone what was going on at home and some people just turned their heads and acted like they didn't see anything wrong, but when someone finally gets him the help he so desperately needed he sees the kindness in them. This broke my heart for the child he was.