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

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.

Customer Reviews:

Heartbreaking

What a wonderful heartbreaking book. I read this book in one night. I tried to put it down after the chapter The Accident. I lay there in my bed and cannot stop my mind from wondering, what happened to this little boy. I had to finish it, that night. The next morning I ordered 3 more of David's books. 5 STAR BOOK

2008-10-03

Too much detail from a child of 5 or 6

I found this book to be very disturbing in many ways.
First the shear horror of the acts inflicted on this child by a parent were too disturbing to complete.
Second, the detail that is included in the book from the time this man was 5 or 6 until he was 12 or 13 is just a little too over the top for me to believe it is actually the memory of a small child.

I am not denying that he was abused but I felt there was a little bit of embelishment from the adult writing.

I could not finish the book nor am I interested in ready the rest of his writtings. I find it amazing that he can over come the abuse and become a whole person but it was just a little much for me

2008-09-30

It

It's hard to believe that anything like this can ever happen. I admire that Dave Pelzer came far enough to be able to write about this book and the horrors of child abuse. Violent, senseless, and powefully told.

2008-09-28

"It" review

The book was for my daughter. It arrived quickly and she didn't put it down until she was finished. Transaction went very smoothly.

2008-09-17

So Incredibly Depressing - The Worst of What A Child Can Endure And Survive

This book was painful and disturbing to read. The author's point-of-view, which seems confusing at first, is absolutely the voice of an abused child. I am highly upset at those Amazon reviewers who questioned whether or not he was really an abused child. This is Dave Pelzer's view of his world as a child. The emotions are overdrawn and the situations outrageous and improbable because he is writing as an adult, trying to recreate the emotions he felt and what he lived through as a child.

2008-09-14