*This book contains themes of child abuse and violence, read with caution*
A Child Called “It” is a true story written by Dave Pelzer, who is himself a victim of extreme child abuse.
This book is an educational and inspirational story that talks about the constant abuse Dave had to face growing up. I won’t go into detail about the story since it’s extremely graphic. But this is just a review.
I read this book in about a couple of hours. Most of the time I felt uncomfortable reading it because of how descriptive and detailed it was, I felt obligated to put it down every once in a while just to give myself a break. This is definitely a book to pace yourself with.
Dave’s family life started out calm and peaceful before it took a drastic turn. His father was a firefighter and his mother stayed at home to take care of him and his two older brothers. Since his father was away on shifts the majority of the time, Dave was often left alone with his mother. There’s only one calm and understanding chapter in this book. After the first chapter, it immediately dives into the reason for the mother’s abuse. And as Dave grew older, the more intense the abuse grew.
From being starved nearly to death to being stabbed by his own mother, Dave overcame nearly everything his mother threw at him. Not only was he ridiculed by his own family of bystanders, but by his school as well. They understood and knew what he was enduring in his own home and refused to report. This book concludes with Dave’s ending resilience and acceptance of his past.
I do not encourage this book to just be read but to be understood. His story deserves to be heard.