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!
Rating:
Summary: Truly a great book, Kept me on edge!
Review: A Child Called "It" is one of the most touching stories I have ever come across. The Author, Dave Pelzer, has done such a good job describing his horrible childhood that once I picked up the book, all the pain that he had felt was felt by me. I would not recommend this to anyone who can not stand horrific scenes. A Child Called "It" is a story about child abuse and how one mother puts a child threw the pain and suffering that is truly unbelievable. The book is kept pretty brief and to the point. It leaves many questions unanswered and describes many scenes that leave the reader in awe, but that is something that Pelzer uses in his book to keep the reader from drifting off.. He writes about how he had lived the beginning of his childhood years in happiness. The happy thought of going home to a mother that loves and cares for him had once been a reality. Then, all of a sudden, he's home was the cold basement where he had to sit on his hands for hours, without food or water, and stare at the wall. Pelzer writes about his alcoholic mother, treating his brothers so kindly, and treating him like a child from hell. He is very descriptive about the tortures inflicted on him by his mother. He writes about one time where his mother stabs him and doesn't take him to the hospital. The stab wound gets infected and he is forced to squeeze the entire puss out of it so the infection doesn't kill him. This process if very painful to him but his survival instincts tell him that if he doesn't do it he will die. It was surprising to read how well this child took care of himself and struggled to survive his mother. Another example is when he writes about how his mother made him swallow a spoon full of ammonia. At first, he writes, he is very happy to know that all he has to do is swallow a spoon full of some liquid because he is too small to comprehend the result of swallowing ammonia. He then describes how his throat starts burning up and his breathing stops, he falls on the floor and starts scratching at it while his mother and father stand there looking at him suffer. I wouldn't recommend this book for children under 14 years of age because the scenes described are just horrible to think about and Dave Pelzer does such a good job describing every single detail that it can very well give children nightmares. I personally loved this book. It opened my eyes and made me appreciate the life that I have. I've already recommended it to many of my friends. I especially make it a point to recommend it to the people that just hate there life because in truth I know that there are people out there who have had it A LOT worse and still have it A LOT worse. When someone tells me how much they hate their life I say, "I suggest you go read A Child Called 'It' by Dave Pelzer. When I was reading this I just couldn't put it down because I wanted to know what happened next, I wanted to know when this child was going to be saved from the horrible life and the horrible mother that he had. Truly a great book, I couldn't put it down.
Rating:
Summary: Hits close to home for more than care to admit
Review: "A Child Called It" does an excellent job explaining the inner mind set of the abused and neglected child. Mr. Pelzer very convincingly (and I feel quite accurately) describes the internalization of guilt and "prisoner of war" mentality which can develop in someone raised in a physically and/or emotionally abusive environment. I think this terrific account hits very close to home for many out there who are still harboring and struggling to come to terms with "the family secret." A few hours with "A Child Called It" just might help change your life.
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