Dave Pelzer’s
book, A Child Called It, is a work of fiction. If you have ever seen young boys
who had a bad childhood because of their uncaring mothers, you would enjoy
reading A Child Called It.
This book is a real life event about David, a nine
year old boy, who gets beaten by his alcoholic, mad, heartless mother. She would
not feed him for days! Many times on his way to school David would either stop
by a store or he would have to steal his classmate’s lunches. His mother was so
evil that one day she tried burning him in the stove! Thankfully, his father came
home or else she would have burned him to death!
His father was usually away
because of his work. The father was miserable with the mother too, as she was
an alcoholic, lazy, angry woman. David was so horrified of his mother he could not
ask for help. Sadly, he had to deal with all his mother’s unfair games.
If you
would like to find out what other crazy things David’s mother made him endure,
I recommend you read A Child Called It.
Deicy A.
Dave Pelzer’s book, A Child Called "IT", is non-fiction. When you hear nonfiction, you think of a boring book and why would you care about what happened in someone else’s life? Not with this book.
A Child Called "IT" is about the author, Dave, and how he survived continuous years of child abuse from his mother. His mother had a drinking problem and when she drank she became angry and tried to solve her problems with violence. David would show up at school with cuts and bruises and the other kids would just make fun of him. The school officials tried to help but the mother would always lie her way through it. Dave’s brothers would tell lies just to get David into trouble. His father is in denial about what is happening in his family and completely ignores everything.
This biography comes from an earlier time period but still today child abuse and alcohol addictions are an ongoing problem. David could have been helped by so many people but they just overlooked him like nothing was wrong. By reading this book, it really opened my eyes to seeing how child abuse is a horrible, continuous problem even to this day. People need to stop overlooking it because it can be stopped if the right people get involved.
Brittany C.
David Pelzer’s book, A Child Called It, is a true story that reveals the frightening truth about child abuse. If you enjoy reading books about real life situations and the struggles people face then you will enjoy reading this book. David Pelzer is both the author and the narrator of the story.
The book is written in a way that really captures your attention because it is written by a man who has gone through the hardships being shared in this book. The book is based on a young boy's fight to stay happy and well despite the fact he has a very abusive mother. He is forced to go through multiple punishments each day, some so harsh they nearly kill him. Many of the punishments David endured are things I would never even imagine.
The book shows how alcohol can effect and change people in multiple ways. David’s mother was a victim of alcohol abuse and turned to beating David as a way to let out her frustration with her own life.
This book really opened my eyes to the reality of child abuse. For me, it’s hard to imagine lives different from my own but by reading this book it is apparent not everyone lives a life similar to mine. If you are interested in seeing how people overcome struggles and thrive, even in a time of hardship, then this is a book for you.
Lily M.
A Child Called It by David Pelzer is a book about Dave’s horrible past. Dave talks about how his mother changed drastically over time from a sweet loving mother to an evil witch who tortured him past his breaking point. Despite his brutal beatings, Dave managed to survive well after he lost all hope that one day he would be free to live a normal life. Thanks to his school administrators, especially the nurse, Dave is set free from his mother because of some child abuse charges.
I would recommend this book because of the unheard of torture methods on a child. I believe this book would also help people become more aware of child abuse and help fight child abuse. I was shocked just by the way his mother would do such hideous things to him that would probably have been done only to a prisoner of war. But, yet again, Dave was fighting a war for his freedom. Dave was a very brave boy who lost hope at the end of the battle but surprisingly, when he did not expect it, his day of freedom came.
Damian G.
