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.