Questions on this topic? Just ask!

Book Review of "A Child Called It"

Summary:   Dave Pelzer writes an autobiography, relating his life story of abuse, starvation and fear. Pelzer sees himslef as a lost boy, drawing more public awareness to child abuse.

The book I read was 'A Child Called It' by Dave Pelzer. The book is an autobiography of Pelzer. He writes about his struggle to stay alive in a home where he is treated like a slave and an animal. The book begins with the people at Dave's school finally report Dave and his condition to the authorities. Then he tells us about his past when he still lived in a happy, normal family. Dave had a mother, father and 2 older brothers. While his Father is at work as a fire fighter, his mother turns to alcohol. She starts treating Dave like an animal and makes him lives in the garage and sleeps there too. She would grab him and smash him in the mirror, when the family is having dinner she would make him sit in a POW (prisoner of war) position. Sometimes she would make him starve for days. Dave then planned steal food from other children's bag but he was caught and his mom was called to the principal's office then when he went home his mother told him to go to the toilet and wait there she came there with ammonia on a spoon and made Dave drink it.

Once everyone finished eating dinner Dave had to wash all dishes in a limited time and then he would probably get all the leftovers to eat. He started going through the bin at night to look for the leftover food and he would eat it, but that didn't go on for long Dave was caught. Dave yet did not stop looking for food he started begging for food on the way to school but once he knocked on his mothers friend house and he was reported to his mother he was beaten up savagely. He thought for several days about a plan but he was scared if was caught and soon he tried his plan he quickly finished his chores at home and ran to school then at break he ran out of the school and went to the nearest shop and picked up something and ran out of the shop and to the school. He ate whatever he stolen from the shop on the way he reached on time to school but unluckily his mom was suspicious and was there all the time and saw everything. When he reached home his mother made him vomit all the food he ate then she told him to eat everything. Then his mother was pregnant when she went to the hospital his dad made him sleep in his bedroom and he was treated nicely only for a few his mother had come with a boy lovely boy, but he was not allowed to touch his little brother or to talk or make eye contact with others. After a long time the family went out for a week but Dave was not left alone he was still tortured. She let him go out and play for the first day but she was missing the torturing so the next day she made him stay back and made him to sit in the conner she brought his little bothers dirty nappy and told him to eat it but he didn't so she took the dirty nappy and rubbed it on his face. She also tried burning him by putting his arm on the stove. Dave always thought that his father was superman and was going to save him from his mother but soon his hopes started fading away as his father would fight with his mother and then Dave would get punished as his mother would tell him that his father and mother fight all because of him. Dave's father started coming home late and sometimes he wouldn't come home for 2 days. Each time Dave started ignoring his mother, she would threaten him that she would kill him. One day Dave was annoying so she got a knife and was telling him that she will kill him and suddenly she puts the knife in his stomach Dave couldn't believe that his mother could do this he started feeling dizzy and fainted his mother cleaned all the blood and washed his clothes after a few hours when he was able to stand up his mother tells him to go and wash up the dishes. Dave goes to his father and shows him tells him "mother stabbed me" but his father doesn't even see how bad his wound was he only said "go and do your chores before your mother comes and sees you talk to me" Dave hates his father even more as he wasn't bothered to even look at him. Days past by Dave was feeling much better and then his mother starts being nice to him and says go play with your brother. Dave thought the bad days were over he slept in his bedroom and did the same things as his brothers. Had dinner with his family and then a lady came home and asked Dave if he was happy at first Dave didn't realize but then soon he understood why they all were kind to him. The book ends with Dave's mom and getting divorced and Dave left with his mother. The length of time was eight years. Dave's age in it was from four to twelve. What happened in the story was unusual for me as I have never been through child abuse before or I have not read a book of child abuse I only heard stories about child abuse but this is horrific. The opening of the story was very exciting as I wanted to keep on reading the book it kept me very engrossed in the book.

Characters

The main characters were the mother, Dave, the father and the teachers who helped him get out of this trap. The mother was the meanest out of all of them she was the main culprit. The rest were quite serious. The mother and Dave were described in details and there were only a few details about the father and the teachers. The found Dave the most interesting, most sympathetic character as he went through so much no one could bear so much. There were a lot of conflicts going on as Dave's mother was fighting with his father and Dave fighting for justice there is a relationship between the father and the son but Dave's mother keeps coming in between.

Comments on Style

The story was written in mostly first person. This story was very important to me as at first I thought child abuse is only hitting, but after reading this book I found out that child abuse ca also is very terrifying. Yes, the setting was described in detail like "SMACK! Mother hits me in the face and I topple to the floor. This is how descriptive each line was throughout the story. Yes, feelings and attitudes were described in detail like "Do you year me"" mother yelled. 'Look at me when I'm talking to you!' 'If you don't finish on time I am going to kill you!' Yes, it was a good story as I have never read a story so interestingly. The way the writer sets each scene and each word and line seems to be as if it is going on right in front of me. There were no favourite moments in the story as Dave is only has been beaten and harassed in different ways which is not joy able. There are no moments that can be changed as this story is an autobiography.

General

The writer probably wants to give a message to the reads as child abuse is no joke if you are child abused then don't just sit there help yourself. After reading it I felt that there should me more child abuse centres than there are. This book is totally different book than any other book I have read. I think everyone should read this book and another book by the same author about his further life "the lost boy."