A Child Called It (A Child Called 'It' - Dave Pelzer)

Member Name: DixieChick101

Product:	A Child Called 'It' - Dave Pelzer
Date:	16/06/09 (145 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A real eye opener

Disadvantages: It will make you cry and feel ill sometimes.

I remember sitting in the library in Year 10, and my mates started talking about this book they have just read. When they had heard that I had not read it, one of them pulled a copy out of their bag and leant it to me. I remember going home that night and reading it very quickly considering how many tears I probably shed that night.

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The Plot
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The book is written from the point of view of a young child called David Pelzer. From the ages of 4-12, he was severely beaten and mistreated by his mother; he was mentally, physically and verbally abused and was known as IT by his mother and brothers. Pelzer is telling the story as he remembers it, and saying what lack of help he had from his brothers, his father and even his school did not even notice the signs.

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My Opinion
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First things first, it does take quite a bit for me to cry, especially at the age I was when I read this book for the first time, however I was absolutely sobbing by the end of the book, as you cannot believe what this poor child went through and what he still has to go through now as an adult due to these mental and physical scars.

I think the main thing you feel throughout the whole book is disgust and anger at the mother and the father. The mother is clearly a monster and was obviously very sick in the head, but your anger for the father really is quite obvious by the end, he sat by and let his young son, get mentally and physically abused by his wife, and just sat there. He is supposed to care for his sons, but he just let it happen.

There are two other books after this one, and when I read A Child Called It, I went straight back to our library at school and for my first time rented out a book, which housed all three of his books that he has written.

The thing that struck me the most was the fact up until the age of 4, he had a normal life, he had all of these brothers and his mother and father loved him however then his mother just snapped. Her alcohol induced brain, causes her to single out David and cause him all of this pain and suffering.

If you have yet to read the book, then this is some of the stuff that David's mother did to him. She once made him to eat his baby brothers nappy, and then later makes him give her his hand, she then holds it over a lit stove and burns him. I think probably the worst for me, was when he was made to drink ammonia. I was nearly sick at this point and it's just shocking that this woman could do this to her poor and innocent son.

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Final Opinion
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I know what I have just put in the last paragraph seems sick and disgusting, but this book is a real eye opener and despite the fact that you will feel all of the emotions possible to feel when reading the book. I have actually just given the book to my younger sister to read, because it really is a good book and it really is a book you have to read before you die, because it is truly possibly one of the worst cases of abuse I've ever heard or read about before.

There is quite a bit of criticism over David Pelzer and the truth behind his book, even on this site. Some say that the book is heavily edited and that some of what 'happened' to David was exaggerated to make the book more exciting. I'm sorry but I do disagree here, yes this guy made money from what happened to him, however I'm sure that someone came up to him and asked for his life tale, not the other way around. All books, especially biography type's books are probably edited very heavily to make them funnier or more interesting, so I'm sure this book is edited a bit slightly.

A lot of people because of an expose in The New York Times believe David and his brother to be big scam artists especially after a lot of light was shadowed onto grey areas of his story.

There are two other books after A Child Called It and they are just as good and harrowing as this book is. I would recommend staying away from Dave Pelzer's brother's story, Richard Pelzer as I do believe that one is a load of tripe just written to get money.

(C) Kirsty

Summary: Despite all of the controversy surrounding the book, it really is a good read.