A Child Called "It"

A Child Called “It”, By Dave Pelzer

Reviewed by Jillian A.

    Can you imagine wearing the same ratty clothes everyday, eating a crumb of bread for dinner, every three days, going to sleep in a dark, cold basement, afraid that you might not wake up tomorrow? Luckily, you don’t have to worry about these problems, but not everyone is as fortunate. Including David Pelzer, a child that was severely abused by his mother, and a father that never spoke up, afraid of the consequences. Dave, a young child living in Daly City, CA, with his mother, father and four brothers, was just a little boy when the abuse begun. Afraid to speak up, and unable to protect himself from his mother’s cruelty, Dave considers each day as a gift from God, thankful that he has survived another long, hard day. This book tells the story of a brave young man, who survived his mother’s abuse in what is considered one of California’s worst child abuse cases in history.

I really enjoyed this book, I believe that it was very well written. Though very sad, it gives the reader much detail and description, drawing a very clear picture for you. I also really like the juicy words that the author uses, he uses very strong adjectives, and I like even more that you can almost feel his pain when reading. This is probably because the author is the protagonist, telling of his chilling experiences, which is nice, because you can actually get the “inside scoop” on what the character(s) were really going through. That was a big plus! Another great aspect of the book was that the point of view is through the eyes of a child, I thought that this was very interesting and original, there aren’t many books that have you see through a very young child’s eyes, especially not a true story. This was refreshing. Also, this book really taught me the importance of gratitude toward my family, after reading this story, I am very grateful that I have a very loving and supportive family, this book has even inspired me to help others in need. It made a great impact on my perspective toward my relatives, as well as others. I just believe that once you read this book, you’ll understand what I am saying, I find that it really teaches you the importance of just being grateful for everything that your parents, siblings, aunts, etc. do for you, the importance of treating them with respect, etc. I highly recommend reading this inspiring story! It definitely made a nice impression on me, and I promise you that you will not regret reading this captivating book. (Though I will warn you now, that this is a very depressing book with some graphic, or disturbing content).

HONORABLE MENTION:

• The Lost Boy, Dave Pelzer (sequel to A Child Called “It”)
• Parallel Journeys, Eleanor Ayer
• The Long Walk, Stephen King
• The Shining, Stephen King
• Twenty Boy Summer, Sarah Ockler