A Child Called It
A Child Called “It” by David Pelzer is his own autobiography of his life as a child being abused by his alcoholic mother, Catherine Roerva Pelzer, who isolates him from the family, then abuses him, and nearly killed him through starvation, poisoning, and once stabbing him. Since Mother starved him for days, he began to steal food in order to survive, and when she finds out he has stolen food, she abuses him with her own “games”. Dave reflects on the “good times” in his childhood, because Mother was once a wonderful, loving mom, but the drinking habit, illness, and Father being gone took over her life, leaving both emotional and physical scars on her child which will haunt him for life. His father, Stephen Joseph Pelzer, a fireman in San Francisco, is a frightened man who as watches Dave is beaten, starved, and humiliated. Mother has stopped calling him by name; instead she would refer him as “the boy” to “it”.
A Child Called "It" doesn't leave the reader empty as we know that the child survived this abuse. We begin with the rescue and then are led through the happy times, and then into the abuse.
The book is written from the perspective of a child. It is eye-opening to see how Dave perceived the treatment of his mother, as she didn't treat Dave's other brothers this way, and how the abuse impacted his self-worth. Yet, Dave still had this incredible will to not only survive, but to rise above it all.
About the Author
Dave Pelzer entered foster care at the age of 12 due to the severe abuse he endured at the hand of his alcoholic mother. The abuse became so terrible that she actually started referring to Dave as "The Boy," instead of a child, her son, or Dave. At the age of 18 Dave aged out of the foster care system and joined the U.S. Air Force.
Dave has won many awards and personal commendations from Presidents Reagan, Bush, Clinton, and George W. Bush. In 1993, Dave was honored as one of the Ten Outstanding...
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