IT REALLY MATTERS (Lost Boy, The - Dave Pelzer)

Name: Ann J Sec

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Product:	Lost Boy, The - Dave Pelzer
Date:	27/02/01 (168 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Short book, any longer would be too harrowing

Disadvantages: Morbid and depressing account of man's inhumanity to man.

David Pelzer - a child called IT - didn't matter to his brothers, teachers, neighbours or school mates, but as my title states, it really matters that abuse such as he describes is allowed still, in this day and age, to go on.

The first thing I noticed on collecting this book from the library was how small and thin it was, (being a bestseller I had expected the usual many paged wonder). Had I only known, the size of the book is almost a prophecy as the contents depict a small, thin child who despite having an initial normal childhood, eventually suffers horrendous abuse at the hands of his mother.

We join David Pelzer at the end of a tortuous period of his childhood. Living in San Francisco,his injuries and precarious health are eventually noted by teachers and health officials who take him under their wing and ultimately take steps to remove him from the care of his mentally unstable mother.

The book then goes on to depict the horrors the child had to endure as initially the youngest of four children. We hear of starving and beatings, cold baths and even torture by obnoxious gases, all of which are apparently endured despite the knowledge and love of his father - a spineless and unhappy man who is obviously under the control of a tyrannical spouse.

We read of the hatred felt by David's mother towards him and how he is deprived of love and forced to steal food from his school companions. How on occasions he is forced to eat the remains of dinners put out for the family dogs in order to survive. He describes his foul smelling clothes and the bullying he consequently receives from schoolmates who see him as an outsider and his anger at his helplessness and the lack of intervention by those he should have been able to confide in.

I have to say I read the book with some initial cynicism. I am by nature a person who always asks why and questions motives and backgrounds. David's early childhood was it seems nor
mal. His mother cuddled him and took him on outings and picnics with his brothers and ensured the children's Christmases were happy with the usual toys, Christmas trees and affection. She apparently smothered the child with love and I therefore found it hard to believe such love could turn to hate for no apparent reason - a mother's love is after all never-ending.

The reader is given no insight into why there was this sudden change of heart or the circumstances leading up to it, although there is an indication that alcoholism played its deadly part. Being a mother myself, I could not envisage anything making me treat my own or any other child in such a way, although of course children can at times try the patience of a saint. In this respect the book is rather annoying as the reader obviously is intrigued to know the circumstances leading up to the neglect and I must admit to wondering at this stage whether the abuse hadn't been exagerated to sell more copies.

Unfortunately it is hard to make out exactly how old David is at the time of the beatings, although the illtreatment seemingly began when he was about 5/6 years old when he is forced to stand in corners for hours at a time and he is rescued seemingly at the age of 11/12. Obviously as he grows older David begins to hate his mother and his siblings for the illtreatment he has to endure, but I found it difficult to envisage a small child feeling such hate that he would call his mother an f.........g bitch.To my mind most children are very forgiving at an early age so again my cynicism came to the fore here.

Reaching the end of the book however, I felt ashamed of my cynicism and wondered whether this is exactly the reason most child abuse goes undetected because people just do not want to believe the truth, or refuse to believe that others do not feel as they do. The story ends with a brief description of David's successful career in later life and his love for his own
children, followed by a short write up by the teacher who noticed the illtreatment in the first place wishing him well for the future.

Apparently this was the third worst case of child abuse in just one state of America in recent years but we are not given any insight into what became of the mother and father or even the other children, although I understand sequels have been written regarding David's life from 12-18 and then from 18 onwards.

I personally feel the book would have benefited from some input by witnesses to his suffering in order to give a more balanced view, as the reader is given absolutely no background information regarding the cause for the mother's unhappiness, although of course I would never condone such horrific behaviour.

This is certainly a very disturbing book, one that makes the reader question their judgement and reactions. It makes unhappy but compelling reading, although ultimately it has been written in a non self-pitying way, obviously as a means of release by the author.

I understand David Pelzer has appeared on various television programmes when he has discussed his childhood. I am glad however that I didn't see these appearances as I was able to read the book with an open mind. It has certainly made me see just how easy it would be to disbelieve that such cruelty could exist and it is indeed frightening to know that one could inadvertently miss such dreadful signs and let such inhumanity continue unabated.

Not a book to take to bed with a cup of cocoa, but certainly an education into man's inhumanity to man, or in this case to small children.

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