Rating: 
Summary: One childs courage to survive.
Review: I am only just 16, and have never been interested in books befor untill my mum showed me this one. After being abused myself at only the age of 4 years old, this book hurt me just to read it. After knowing that this book is a true story and trying to understand what David must have went through, i was in tears. This man is one of the bravest men i have ever heard of. I have now got all three books,and after byeing the first book i couldn't stop myself from byeing them all, i read the first book in only one day. This book has made me more aware of what happends in the world today. Thanks you David for writeing such an amazeing book. Anyone who want to bye this book then please do as you will not regret it. Yours Truely Julie Clarkson
Rating:
Summary: One childs courage to survive.
Review: I am only just 16 and have never been interested in books befor, untill my mum showed me this one. After being abused myself at only the age off 4 years, this book hurt me just to read it. After knowing that this book is a true story and trying to understand what David must have went through i was in tears. This man is one of the bravest men i have ever met. I have now got all three books and read nearly all three, after byeing the first book i couldn't stop myself from byeing them, and read the first one in only one day, this book has made me more aware of what happends in the worldn today. Thank you David for writeing such an amazeing book. Yours Truely Julie Clarkson
Rating:
Summary: Must Read this Book!
Review: A Child Called "It" is a devastating story about a boy who was brutally beaten and starved by his disturbed and alcoholic mother. In the begging David Pelzer lived the normal, healthy, fun life with the rest of his family. However, his mother turned into a living monster taking all of her anger and stress out on David. David suffered from many different games that his mother would play with him. They consisted of being forced to eat his own vomit, sleeping in the basment without a blanket, forced to sit on a burning stove, forced to sit in a room filled with poisonous fumes, stabbed, had feces rubbed in his face and told to eat it and many more. David was no longer considered part of the family. David suffered form a lot of physical and mental abuse. David's goal was to not give in and and let his mother beat him at her games. To my amasment David pulled himself together and over came his mother. I read this book in one sitting. To read this real life story of a boy who was tortured, makes one want to cry and be thankful for everything they ever had. I feel that everyone has the strength to survive and the ability to leave their dark past behind them!
Rating:
Summary: important to read
Review: I'm giving this five stars soley on the basis that every one who comes out w/ their history of abuse deserves a major applause. Still too many would rather play "skeptic" and discredit this book from any angle possible. It's not unique. Any survivor of child abuse, (esp. pre 1980's when the reality of it was brushed underthe carpet and considered rare along w/ rape, domestic abuse, etc.)has to face the same thing. Other than that I thought it was poorly written and edited but important neverless.
Rating: 
Summary: Powerful! True! Gripping!
Review: A very powerful, dynamic tale of a child who, despite ALL odds, had a will a determination to survive. This is a very well written story portraying the emotion, and thought pattern of a child who became "The Boy", and then as "The Boy" became an "It". The story covers a boy growing up in a home that, although started out as a loving home, became totally devoid of any sort of loving emotion. A drink, and mental illness driven environment provides a story background, presenting a true tale of unopposed child abuse, such as is never reported in the ratings driven media of the world in which we live. This is a true, but sad, yet gripping tale of a boy who is determined to never give up! He somehow manages to find a little self-worth, despite receiving no input from those in whom he is supposed to find sollace and refuge. Warning : whilst a gripping, true story, the truths that Dave Pelzer reveals in this autobiography, could upset some readers, however, all come away asking the same question - WHY ??? A must read!
Rating:
Summary: A Horrifying Yet Inspiring Story
Review: A Child Called It..., horrified me, but truly inspired me. David Pelzer describes how his mother went from a loving and caring woman to a monster. All of her rage was directed at him and he became the family scapegoat. Her rage came out at him in many forms of abuse including psychological, physical, and verbal. The abuse ranged from beatings, starvation, to a stab wound and brainwashing. At many times the descriptions were so intense, I almost became physically sick. Yet through it all Pelzer resolved in his mind at that very young age that he would not let his mother win; he would survive. Ultimately Pelzer did survive, and that survival is what inspired me so. He survived by stealing food, trying to meet all of his mother's demands, and by not believing the lies she tried to beat into him. No matter how hard she tried to make him disappear, he always found a way to keep on going. She could beat his body, but she could never take away his will to survive. David faced this severe abuse for years and no one did anything, including his own father. His father watched as he was denied food, forced to clean the bathroom with the lethal combination of bleach and ammonia and daily beaten to a pulp. Even his own school did not for years recognize the warning signs including stealing food, constant bruises, and tattered clothing. With no help coming from the external world, Pelzer turned inward and found an iron will. The abuse was only half the story, the other half was his survival. I found that I could not put it down. I tried, but I kept coming back to it. Something about this story gripped me in a way that I can not describe. In today's society we are so desensitized to violence and abuse, but nothing prepared me for this. I was shaken to the core of my being. I cannot believe that a monster like Pelzer's mother even exists. It is unbelievable to me that a woman who was loving to her family could so drastically change to hating her innocent child so deeply. I will never look at child abuse the same way. Thankfully our society is much more aware of abuse now than it was in the seventies. More needs to be done to make sure that this type of abuse does not happen again. This book will open your eyes and give you a new perspective.
Rating:
Summary: A must read for adult victims of child abuse.
Review: This book by Dave Pelzer is more than just a brutally honest account of his childhood. It is a powerful tool for healing in the lives of adult victims of child abuse. I too was abused as a child and survived through courage and determination. Listening to Dave's story helped me feel less alone in what I suffered. It was stunning to see that although the duration and intensity of his mother's abuse was much greater than what I endured, the attitude and spirit driving her actions was identical. It's important to understand this spirit so that we can recognize its presence in our own lives and put a stop to the cycle of abuse. Many people who have survived try to forget what happened and pretend they grew up "normal". Forgetting isn't the answer. It can actually be dangerous. This book helps with the important task of remembering and owning what happened, which then allows the opportunity to be deeply and truly healed. Know the truth and the truth will set you free.
Rating:
Summary: EXCELLENT AND GRUELING
Review: I am a Court Appointed Special Advocate and a prevous foster child myself. This book has helped open my mind more to the feelings of children and understand the things that my brother did as we were moved through the foster care system. This book also helps children who are being or have been abused to understand that they are not at fault and they too can have a rewarding life after all. They are not worthless and they can achieve anything that they set their minds on. I recommend this book to anyone that deals with children or adolescents.
Rating:
Summary: A Child Called "It"
Review: This book starts off about a young boy who is finally coming out with the truth about how he is being abused by his mother. Then it goes back to when thinks where like a "normal" family and builds up to how his mother abuses him. "A Child Called 'It'" was unlike any other book I have read because it was real and almost at times in bearabel to read. It was disturbing to read about how a young child was forced to be blamed for the problems his mother had. It wasn't like any other book because of the reality it sent to you and how it makes you think, if this could happen to a little boy and nobody would say anything, then maybe it could be happening to anyone around us. Even though this book was very graphic and sometimes hard to read because of the violent nature, it was a book that grabs your attition until the end because you want to make sure it has a "happy" ending. It grabs your heart and just makes you want to help him even though you can't. " 'Maybe that is what she was planning for me,' I told my self, ' Maybe she wants me to drink my own pee.'" That sentence is a small part from what his mother made him do. She wanted him to think he was nothing but he wouldn't let her. Dave Pelzer (the author) rose above her and became a great man. I don't know what could make this book any better than it was. Maybe it could have said a few more things about when Dave and his family had better time or more about his father.
Rating:
Summary: read and decide for yourself
Review: There are many things that were unanswered towards the end of the book, that left me baffled and puzzled. It is truly a very disturbing book. However, I must say that it is certainly very heart-wenching. I shouldn't describe the details of the real-life story, but leave for you; the potential buyer to read and decide for yourself. It is certainly a book worth reading and I am getting its sequel -"The Lost Boy" for sure. With my early years reading of a book called "I am David" by Anne Holm, it teaches us how to live and survive even if its all odds that measures against us. Especially for a child, of such vulnerable age!
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