A Child Called "It": One Child's Courage to Survive

A Child Called "It": One Child's Courage to Survive Features

Additional A Child Called "It": One Child's Courage to Survive Information

This book chronicles the unforgettable account of one of the most severe child abuse cases in California history. It is the story of Dave Pelzer, who was brutally beaten and starved by his emotionally unstable, alcoholic mother: a mother who played tortuous, unpredictable games--games that left him nearly dead. He had to learn how to play his mother's games in order to survive because she no longer considered him a son, but a slave; and no longer a boy, but an "it."

Dave's bed was an old army cot in the basement, and his clothes were torn and raunchy. When his mother allowed him the luxury of food, it was nothing more than spoiled scraps that even the dogs refused to eat. The outside world knew nothing of his living nightmare. He had nothing or no one to turn to, but his dreams kept him alive--dreams of someone taking care of him, loving him and calling him their son.

What Customers Say About A Child Called "It": One Child's Courage to Survive:

Although the subject matter and what David went through was horrible, his unbreakable spirit is to be admired. Very fast reading -- I bought all 3 books before I started reading this one because I didn't want to be left in suspense to finish his story.

It focuses on his childhood up to the fifth grade when observant teachers helped to bring his abuse to an end.I was disgusted while reading this book. The fact that this woman was able to torment this child for so long without anyone knowing had me looking at each of my students with fresh eyes. This is the first in the series of three. Never called by name, starved almost to death, and hidden away in the basement for years of his life, Dave Pelzer overcame this living nightmare to write a series of books about his life. This is the true story of child abuse told from the mouth of a man that lived it. I was able to keep reading because I knew he was going to make it. It will make you sick, but you must find the strength to read it. It will make you angry.

Little David's ability to hold on to hope is inspiring. It's rare that I read a nonfiction book, but when a fellow teacher told me how this book changed her way of thinking about her students, there was no way I could walk away from it. A Child Called "It" is Dave Pelzer's account of life as the child that was the outlet for his alcoholic, emotionally unstable mother's frustration with life. It made me see that I need to understand their lives outside of school in order to understand their performance inside my classroom.Underneath the wretchedness of this story is a theme of determination and perseverance that will steal your heart. Not with the book, but with the fact that it is nonfiction. If you work with children in any way, you must read this book. To survive reading this book I had to keep reminding myself that it would be okay, he would live to write his story. Where did he find his strength.

Very good and emotional book. I really got into this one and loved it so did my wife. If you haven't read this one then you are missing out.

The first of 3 books. Great, hard to read without crying for this child. Can not believe the actions of his mother. The other two books are just as great.

But those happy memories only seem to increase the pain of what his home life turned into, having gone so almost seamlessly from heaven to hell.It gives good insight into the failures of "the system". "You'd most likely be like me and wish that what you were reading isn't true. For a while, in fact, it felt "over the top" and too horrible to be true but if you open your mind to the author's words you will see and know and feel that it can be true all too often and is no doubt accurate with some variations to particulars in the lives of other victims.It is a heartbreaking book, a book that begins in such a positive frame of mind describing an idyllic childhood with happy memories. In the end the system redeems him and gives him a hope for a better life but all that is discussed in the author's continuing saga of his incredible life.A very good book to read to become aware of the the way familys fall apart, how they interact and how they can turn on one another.I recommend highly. It is easy to read in that it can be read quickly but hard to read in its tragedy.We need to see beyond the surface of what appears to be going on down to the level where we can see reality which isn't always pretty."