Rating: 
Summary: He wasn't a bad boy, but boy is he a bad writer
Review: A brutal childhood does not a good writer make. This book came to my attention because it has been making the rounds in my daughter's middle school. I am very glad to have read it before her because I feel it is decidedly NOT an appropriate book for pre-teens and young teens. The critical failing of the book is the absence of any attempt to engage an UNDERSTANDING of child abuse. The litany of horrific details of such extreme happenings can only penetrate us meaningfully in the context of a consideration of WHY. Sadly, Dave Pelzer does not take us there and the result is a feeling of voyeuristic manipulation. This is not healthy reading for children or adults as it does not provide any insight into alcoholism, mental illness, depression, or, ultimately, child abuse. (Middle school children would benefit more from the full telling and ANALYSIS of the author's rejection by his school peers.) All that being said, I'm very sympathetic to the author's childhood plight. Surely the wild five star ratings this book has garnered are a testament to our natural inclination to support a fellow being's recovery from such dire circumstances. I hope Dave Pelzer found the writing of the book cathartic and that my ... contribution to this peep show assists in his continued healing. I have no interest, however, in reading the next two books as I could find more meaningful details about the case in newspaper archives.
Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful story
Review: When I first heard about this book, I wasn't so sure if I was going to enjoy it. My reasoning behind that is the thought of a child being treated so poorly and being abused, made me outraged. I asked all of my friends who have read this book if they liked it and they said they had not liked it, but they loved it. So I decided to read "A Child Called "It"", As soon as I started to read it, I noticed the book had a poor writing style. But the story made me have so much sympathy for the writer. I couldn't control my emotions as I kept on reading. Even though it is written with a poor style, as I had mentioned before, I loved this story. I highly recommend this book and the following sequils: "The Lost Boy" and "A Man Named Dave".
Rating: 
Summary: Inspirational
Review: This book was an awesome, inspirational book. Dave put in great detail that explained everything you needed to know. But he also left you some questions for his upcoming books. This will be a book you can read over and over again and find out new things everytime.
Rating:
Summary: A true eye-opener
Review: I just finished reading David J. Pelzer's book "A Child Called It". This book tells you, in quite graphic detail, about the abuses David went thruogh as a child. I cried when I read some of the inhumane things his mother forced him into doing. I felt the book was a real eye opener to what really does go on in the world around us everyday.
Rating:
Summary: You'll want to hug your kids......
Review: I've read most of the reviews already posted for this book, some believed the story and some didn't. I think the reality is it doesn't matter if you beleive this particular story or not. But know that this does happen and many times goes without anyone stepping in. My heart just ached for this poor child and once I started reading I just couldn't put the book down. I don't think I will ever understand how any parent or adult can treat a child with such contempt. A warning, this book is not for the faint hearted. It will make you cry and want to run to your kids and hug them and never stop. I highly recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: A Story That Must be Told
Review: As I read this book, I kept wondering why on the cover had it been printed with "An Inspirational Story". Reading this book over the course of two evenings, I felt a growing lump in my stomach and my face grew stiff from the expression with which I had been reading. This is most definitely a story that needed to be told. I hold a deep respect and reverence for David Pelzer and his life story. This story details a life so unfathomable, so unimaginable I can hardly believe David Pelzer is a real person. I kept flipping over the book to ensure he was still there with his slight smile. Kudos to Dave Pelzer for his inhuman strength and will. In addition, his boldness at telling a story that must be told. Even if you are aware of child abuse and it's demonic existence this is a good book for you to read. It charts his life from happy times, to the beginning of abuse, and finally the removal from his mother. I thank David Pelzer for his epilogue introducing us to himself as a father. I believe that portion was more for the reader than for himself. He knows he's a survivor, he knows his chances of being an abuser are greater than non-abused persons, and he knows he will love his children in an infinite amount. This is a must read for every school professional, adult, and child out there. May we have the strength to make a difference the way David Pelzer has.
Rating:
Summary: A story to make you weep tears of shame
Review: It was with the heaviest of hearts that I turned the last page of Dave Pelzer's account of his experiences as a child from the ages of 4-12. The horrific abuse that he suffered at the hands of his Mother is shocking and painful to read. I finished it virtually at one sitting since it was almost impossible to put down, although at times, were it not so utterly compelling, it would have been equally difficult to pick up again. That David survived his terrible ordeal at all is almost beyond belief. That he survived and managed to triumph is nothing short of a miracle. A previous reviewer described this book as "not well written". I think this misses the point. Dave Pelzer is not a writer. He is simply someone who has been brave enough to share with the world the terrible things that happened to him and he has to be commended for it. It's true to say that the book is not high on decorative language and snappy narrative. Nevertheless, I would challenge any reasonable person to put it down unaffected, unchanged and not weeping tears of shame that in our so-called civilised society, something like this could happen to a child. It's unbearably sad and completely unforgettable. A MUST READ!
Rating:
Summary: Cathartic or Poorly Written...
Review: Was like watching a train wreck; you don't WANT to see this, but you can not put it down. Some parts were so vivid, my stomach lurched and I had a hard time dealing with the emotions that spread though me, the sense of dread for this child, wonder at the lack of attention this child recieved and incredulity that this person did not grow up with more serious troubles. I applaud you Dave. As a note to the poor votes this has received thus far, please read on... When I first started reading this book, the poor writing style made me wonder how he ever managed to get this published. After getting farther into the book, I realized something. Dave was writing this book as a way to get his feelings out about his abuse so he could look at them, disect them, and maybe heal them(or so I believe). Before you criticize the author for not having the best style, understand he had no formal training. He just wanted to reach out and tell others what really happens to kids in our world today. I, myself was abused at a very young age and grew up in foster care. There have been so many times I have sat here at my computer and typed my story (or parts of it). Memories often come to us in flashes, like photos from a camera. And rarely do we understand why our abusers do what they do... we just think about the abuse and how it made US feel. So the fact that he jumped from one scene of abuse to another does not surprise me. I am sure if he would have related every single incident, this one book may haave taken two or three volumes instead of just one. Whether or not this is 100% truth or some truth and some feelings laid onto it from the author, this DOES occur in our nation and we need to do something about it. And I, personally, don't think Dave will care much about whether you liked his style as long as it gripped you, held you, and made you finish it... made you feel uncomfortable about the possiblity of something like this occurring in YOUR neighborhood. By the way, questions about why his mother did this (or his idea of why she may have) are found in the following books that I also read: The Lost Boy, and A Man Named Dave.
Rating: 
Summary: Proceed with skepticism!
Review: I approached this book from the outset with skepticism, and for what I think are good reasons. First, the publisher is not mainstream, and one wonders how many rejections came at the hands of more demanding editors. Second, Peltzer claims that he is writing with the "voice" of the abused child, telling the story as it might be told as the harrowing events happened to him. That sounds like a slick editorial decision to "cover" for what is essentially very poor writing style. ("Hey, this guy writes like a kid, so why not SELL it as the memories of a kid?") Thirdly, Peltzer goes on and on detailing all manner of horrors, yet he stridently overlooks many pressing questions that the reader will have. WHAT might have motivated his mother to do such things? HOW was she coping with other aspects of her life? At one point, Peltzer describes an injury that would certainly require hospitalization, and then, astoudingly, just moves on to another incident of abuse. The reader is left wondering if and how Peltzer got the needed medical attention... how on earth his mother could have done a cover up for this... and yes... just how much of this is truth and how much is fictionalized sensationalism. Try reading a book like the marvelous memoir of Gregory Howard Williams' "Life on the Color Line" -- it is rich in detail, probes the motives of his parents, and leaves you utterly convinced of its authenticity.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing
Review: I have read all 4 of Dave's books, and they are amazing. I hope to have the privledge of meeting him someday. Right now, I'm only 20, and an animation student at Pratt Institute, but I am actually toying with the idea of writing a self-help book. I came from a loving family but was tormented more than normal by others at school, and like Dave, I had destructive outlets. It wasn't until I was in my mid to late teens that I realized if my life were to change, it would be my responsibility. Through that I gained inner strength and more resilence. This book was inspiring to read, as well as his others, and it proves a tired point that one doesn't have to have a Ph D in psychology to write about resilience, how to overcome obsticles, how the human mind works in adversity, and how to help oneself.
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