Book Review: A child called ‘It’ by Dave Pelzer
Reviewed by: Kathleen Tan, 18
Y.O! blogger
Can you imagine what it is like to survive on scraps of food you dig out of the garbage bin every day, be beaten to near-death and even poisoned by ammonia which your mother forces you to swallow while the rest of your family watches on helplessly for years?
This was the ordeal which Dave Pelzer went through during his childhood. In this true story, Pelzer recalls how he was abused as a child by his mother who regarded him as a lesser being unworthy to be treated as a human, much less as her son, whom she called ‘It’.
Dave’s brutal mother not only beat him but also tried to burn him above the kitchen stove. He was no longer called “David” by was referred to as “the boy” and later reduced to “It”. Dave was forced to sleep in the basement in an old unwanted army cot while the rest of his brothers were pampered.
Through it all, Dave’s family could not do anything to stop his mother. As she became more and more cruel, Dave had many close shaves with death.
The graphic details of his heart-wrenching experiences are enough to make anyone’s hair stand on end. This is the first book in a trilogy which is followed by “The Lost Boy” and finally “A Man Named Dave”, the touching conclusion to how Pelzer eventually overcame the odds.
With the vivid description aside, the recount shows how a child’s strong will to live pushes him to fight for his life in spite of the odds through the mental and physical struggle against child abuse. Pelzer wishes to highlight the fact that his is not the only case of child abuse in reality. His story would inspire anyone to live life to the fullest and never give up.
Title: A child called ‘It’
Author: Dave Pelzer
Publisher: London : Orion, 2001, c1995.
Call No.: English 362.76092 PEL
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This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 3rd, 2008 at 12:53 am and is filed under bookshelves. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
June 6th, 2008 at 11:39 am
I own all 3 books of dave’s journey. But I’ve also read ‘They cage the animals at night’ by Jennings Michael Burch. Compared 2 e latter, i find der’s mre hate n bitterness in Dave’s story. but possbily bcos Jennings was merely a foster child, did not go through unending abuse like David.
if u lik sme thng mre heart-warming, about love, and w mre closure, try ‘They cage the animals at night’.
June 16th, 2008 at 5:48 pm
Hi Mjun,
Thanks for the recommendation!
To be honest, I haven’t read Dave Pelzer’s books coz I’m afraid I’ll find them too sad and depressing. I’ll have to go stock up on tissue paper before reading.
June 16th, 2008 at 10:47 pm
I’ve read 2 of these books. Still cannot find the 3rd book. It is really saddening and depressing. If I haven’t start this book, I probably won’t start it. Have you read Lord of the Flies. It’s about human nature again…So Sad the world.
June 17th, 2008 at 10:24 am
Hi hi, I haven’t read “A Child called ‘It’ too. Indeed “Lord of the Flies” is a depressing book and I’ve read that [hee hee, cos' it was my sec 4 lit text]. But I do love the book, cos’ the author, William Golding, amazes me with his use of innocent children to depict the imperfections of human beings.
October 15th, 2008 at 10:33 pm
i have read a child called it … i must say it was very depressing too see how a mother could treat someone… not just anyone her son so bad it brought me to tears,
July 9th, 2009 at 8:39 am
I was crying when I read this book. It upsets me that you all seem to believe this. I was told it was fake, so I obviously looked into it and realised this book is a fake. This guy was getting paid, for making things up. Don’t get me wrong, I read all those books in three days, staying up all night for them but there ARE real children who are being abused constantly and it needs to stop.
If you want something not false then I reccomend Don’t Tell Mummy by Toni Maguire. A girl who recalls the hardships her father thrust upon her whilst her mother went along with it.
If you don’t believe me on the whole Dave Pelzer thing thik about it,
In one of the books he says that he can’t remember what his mother looked like. Yet he remembers lots of the things his mother did.
And one of his work colleagues said that in the book he was sensitive, but not when he was near him.
He also protects his Mothers and brothers details. He has told no one where they lived.
I was so shocked when I heard this, I totally believed him and wasted money on a book about someone fake.
July 29th, 2009 at 5:20 pm
Hey emma. Are you serious? You’re joking right? Dave Pelzers story was one of the most harsh child abuse cases of the 70s. Look that one up before you believe that he did it *oh so greedily* all for the money.I believe he might’ve exaggerated some things, but then again i cannot believ more than 50% of the book is a lie, with all those graphic descriptions of his abuse. It just doesn’t fit :S
August 4th, 2009 at 4:59 pm
Try reading “My Sister’s Keeper” by Jodi Picoult.
August 24th, 2009 at 4:37 pm
i read this story and i think daves mother is just sick ! i was so intersed in it that i read it in a day ! and im not a book person,
October 8th, 2009 at 5:18 pm
I’ve read the story for my assignment and i think that Dave’s mother is just simply a horrid woman.I really wonder why she’s got the heart to do something so sadistic to her own son.After all, he’s her flesh and blood.
And Emma-are you kidding me?this is one of the worst few child abuse cases in the 70s.At first i thought it was all a make up tall tale, but after i looked it up on the net,it was all real.Even wikipedia states so!
It may sound fake to us all, but whehter it is or not is another matter.We just need to know that there are children out there being ill-treated by their parents.
March 8th, 2010 at 10:22 am
I just read the whole trilogy again as I was having some troublesome times in my life. These books make me want to slap myself for worrying about silly things when there have been worse things done to many other people in this world, like David’s story. It makes me put things into perspective and come out of it more calm as I compare my “dramas” with Dave’s. Oh, and Emma, I bet you regret posting your comments now huh? With much respect for David Pelzer, please people, do your research before posting harmful comments.
March 14th, 2010 at 12:22 pm
A boy who is starve is forced to steal food and found out by the principle.The principle ring up his mother and told her about it. His mother became worse and didi not give him any food for a period of time and he steal more and more food……..the countiously cycle……..
March 14th, 2010 at 12:23 pm
A boy who is starve is forced to steal food and found out by the principle.The principle ring up his mother and told her about it. His mother became worse and didi not give him any food for a period of time and he steal more and more food……..the countiously cycle……..
April 20th, 2010 at 7:55 am
wow Emma or whoever you are your an idiot. This case is recorded ON FILE and when eh was examined at the hospital all claims were true. Do some research next time huh?