A Child Called It by David J. Pelzer

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Recommended: Domestic violence within families

A Child Called It Book Review

After reading A Child Called It, I think that it is a tearjerker and a heart felt story about a child abuse case that took place in Daly City, California. This book is about a little boy named David and his abusive situation that he is in but this book is a twist! David does not just start out with a bad situation, at first his family was like any other family loving, caring, sweet and awesome memories and fun times with his mom and dad and brothers, he even refers to his family as the “Brady Bunch”(Pelzer 17). His mother was a stay at home mom from my viewpoint and his dad was a firefighter. The mom was like me on being a clean person, she was a good mother and took the kids on trips and like most moms even had a garden. He also mentioned that she was a fabulous cook and made amazing meals and loved the holidays as well. She was the typical mom. One day her relationship with David changed dramatically for the worst. The first time he got punished he was put in the corner. Her voice changed from the nurturing mother they knew to one of a wicked witch (Pelzer30). She moved on from putting David in the corner to smashing his face against a mirror and made him repeat, “I’m a bad boy! I’m a bad boy!” (Pelzer 31) She sent him on searches to find things around the house that she had misplaced. She was also a different person around his father; she did not beat him, yell, or punish him. She hurt his arm terribly one day while punishing him, popping it out of place. She burnt him on the stove holding his arm over a flame! (Pelzer 41) One thing his mother loved to do was the “Gas Chamber”. David’s mom would lock him up in the bathroom while he cleaned and put a bucket of mixed up cleaning ingredients/s...

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... to young children that are in abusive situations and just sharing his knowledge on abuse and getting people to realize how serious the matter is and that every person has their own story. David joined the military and served his country at 18 in the Air Force and has won numerous awards for his books and speeches. He helps others and loves doing just that! He survived and beat the odds and and he got out and made a living and a life for himself and now has his own family and continues to speak into others lives and give them unfailing hope.

Works Cited

Pelzer, David J. A Child called "it": An Abused Child's Journey from Victim to Victor. Deerfield Beach, FL: Health Communications, 1995. Print.

Pelzer, Dave. "Dave Pelzer - The Official Site - Welcome!" Dave Pelzer - The Official Site - Welcome! Dave Pelzer, n.d. Web. 26 Apr. 2014.

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