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

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Summary: Great, excellent, the best book EVER!
Review: Heart-ripping, tear-jerking, and emotional distress are just a few of the many, many feelings that a reader will feel during the life of Peter. Another must-read!

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Summary: The unbelievable account of a childs terror.
Review: I purchased the book after seeing Dave Pelzer on the Montel Williams show. It took only a few hours to read. While I found the account gut-wrenching, I have to admit I do feel a little skeptical. I am not saying the story isn't true, I do feel, however, that there was so much left out and so many questions left unanswered that it does make you wonder. I am a sexual abuse survivor. I know what it is like to not be believed. Nobody believed me until much later, after years of being made the outcast, when other people who had been abused by the same family member came forward. I think the story could have been written much more clearly and many questions answered. While I KNOW there is horrible child abuse all around us, I question Dave's motives when it takes three books to tell this story and now a possible video to answer the unanswered questions? A good book doesn't leave all the questions hanging. My heart goes out to Dave and all abuse survivors. I still suffer the affects at age 42. I feel his story would have met with less skepticism had it been better told and told in 1 book instead of 3 books plus a video.

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Summary: Makes you wonder if any child near you needs help...
Review: Yesterday I finished "A Child Called It" and have begun the second book by Dave Pelzer. I hope I find out in this book (or the 3rd) what eventually happened to his (and I use the term loosely) parents. I found this book to be educational although heartbreaking. It's almost unbelievable that parents could treat their child in such a horrific manner! What an indominable spirit & will Dave has! I think all parents & educators should read this book & then carry it's message in their hearts...wake up America...if it happened once...it's happening again to some degree somewhere!!

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Summary: They cut down a tree for THIS??!
Review: True abuse and torture is reading this asinine book. The only reason I haven't thrown it out the window is because I have this terrible compulsion to see if the book can possibly get any stupider. I find the descriptions of torture gratuitous, existing only for shock value. I find adults depicted as moronic characters, unable to link even the simplest of clues together - to wit: David is caught numerous times stealing food, and, from the description of how infrequently he's fed, he must look like an Ethiopian famine survivor. He hasn't had his clothes washed in months, so they are filthy and full of holes. SO THE SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION REPEATEDLY PUNISHES HIM FOR STEALING FOOD?!! Help me, someone, please, from this mindless collection of inky paper! Rest assured I'm not a heartless criminal - I'm a teacher, a member of Big Brother/Big Sister, a mentor, and I work with children from abusive homes, AND I STILL FIND THIS BOOK AWFUL! If you want it I'll mail it to you for free! Thank you.

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Summary: An important book on an important subject
Review: As a mother myself, I found it difficult to stomach the sheer torture Mr. Pelzer suffered at the hands of the woman who gave him life and was put on this earth to cherish and protect him. The abuse, terror, lonliness, and hopelessness Dave must have felt is absolutely mind-boggling. I read this book in a very short time--I could not put it down! The books leaves many unanswered questions though--- Why did "Mother" single him out? Does he have any contact with her now? What about his father who all but condoned his wife's abuse towards Dave? Does Dave have any contact with his brothers? He mentions he has a son...what is his relationship like with the child's mother? Many victims of child abuse suffer long-term effects and have great difficulty in relationships later in life, I wonder how Dave is coping today with the aftermath of such a traumatic childhood. I probably will buy the other books in his "story" although certainly, it could have been told in one book for about half the price it will cost me to buy all three. Guess Dave really has learned how to survive...

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Summary: It put my life in perspective!
Review: My hart whent out to this little boy. I could not imagine this happening, but I know it can and it does. It has made me determinded to love my son and daughter in every way, and to look for the opportunites help other children who are un-loved and or abused. P.S. I would like to hear what happened to the other members of his family.

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Summary: Amazing, but I just have one question...
Review: I thought this book was great. Yes, there were a lot of parts that made you say "how do they not notice..?", but believe me, as an education major, you are taught to not stick your nose in other people's business in some cases. Things can get turned around real fast. It took a lot of courage for his teacher and school nurse to take the steps they did. Anyway, my one question at the end was: What's with Dave's family life now? Does he have a wife? If he does, it's never mentioned. Did he adopt his child Stephen? The reason I wonder is because you read about sufferers of child abuse having a lot of relationship-problems later on in life. It's obvious Dave loves his son more than life itself, but I wonder about the relationship with Stephen's mother. Did he get divorced because the stress of his past was too much to work through? I think the answer to this question will really sway Dave's credibility either way in my eyes, because after all, a loving family is not just about children. The parents are the staples, and they are just as important.

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Summary: Very poorly written and simply does not seem believable.
Review: I read the first and second book. I felt a strong underlying skepticism while reading both books. There are too many inconsistencies and it just seems so unlikely the abuse could have been so severe and no one noticed it sooner. Why did his mom turn into a demon overnight? June Cleaver one day and the next day a psychotic and cruel demon? I just don't buy it. If I am wrong, I apologize to the author. Perhaps it was just in the way the story was presented. Another reason I was skeptical was the fact that it is taking him three books to relay his story and indeed his entire career relies on the "fact" of his abusive childhood. Three books seems like a good way to make a lot of extra money by exploiting (or manufacturing) his abusive past.

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Summary: I think everyone should read this book.
Review: This book is so emotional, cause you wouldn't think that a mother could really do such horrible things to her own child. I think everyone should read this book, it lets people know that there is this kind of abuse going on out there in the world. I could not put this book down after I started to read it, I read it in one night. And the worst part about it is that this book is a true story, and the author Dave Pelzer was the one that was abused by his mother. Dave did an excellent job writing this book, and it had to take alot of guts to tell the public what had happened to him when he was a boy.

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Summary: Neve - My thoughts on this book as a teenage female
Review: I personally have not lived through the same type of ordeal David has and I feel lucky I haven't. David told an increadible story and I'm very proud of him, but as an author it lacked. It was a bit choppy and it did leave many unanswered questions. True, David did not seem very emotional in telling this story and I can think of a possible reason why. As a victim of clinical depression, I know that when I tell my story people say I don't seem very emotional. It's a survival method. You try to remove yourself from any feelings....eventualy you can deal with your feelings and analyze them, but for the moment, it is too difficult. This might be the situation in David's case. Overall, I thought it was an interesting story and David was brave to tell it.