A Child Called ‘It’ By Dave Pelzer | Teen Ink

A Child Called ‘It’ By Dave Pelzer MAG

March 17, 2008
By Bapalapa2 ELITE, Brooklyn, New York
Bapalapa2 ELITE, Brooklyn, New York
1044 articles 0 photos 1 comment

Dave Pelzer's first book in this series is phenomenal. What actually happened to him as a child is hard to imagine. This was a number one New York Times bestseller for months and is an inspirational story.

David was renamed “It” by his evil mother. His childhood begins as the life everyone hopes for. He enjoyed visits to the zoo, lake trips with family, and being cuddled by his mom while listening to a great book. David's life drastically changed when he became a first-grader. His mother and father developed drinking problems. It's very hard to read about all the sadistic “games” his mother dreamed up.

When you read some of what happens, you'll wonder how anyone could even think of ­doing such things to their own child. Pelzer is a strong man to write about his childhood when he was almost beaten to death. This book really makes you wonder how many other children suffer such abuse.

As his teachers and principal, neighbors, and even his father stand by and let the abuse happen, it makes you wonder what you would have done. This book is extremely well written. All of the gruesome details help you to visualize what he went through. There are more books in this series, and you'll want to read them all once you begin. This book is for mature readers only.


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This article has 145 comments.


on Mar. 24 2011 at 12:44 pm
VKarcich BRONZE, Sterling, Virginia
1 article 0 photos 3 comments
i have read this book,  and it is VERY sad and emotional. I would suggest it to many others, this review discribes this book very well. the review is wonderful :)

jhkghtfhtyu said...
on Mar. 18 2011 at 12:06 pm
this book sounds great i think i will read it

desmiree said...
on Mar. 18 2011 at 11:59 am
desmiree, Elkins, West Virginia
0 articles 0 photos 5 comments

That sounds very intersesting and I wanna read it because it is hard for a person to tell about their abuse.

 


on Mar. 10 2011 at 7:24 pm
random3rainbow SILVER, Montpelier, Ohio
6 articles 0 photos 41 comments

Favorite Quote:
be the change you want to see in this world

this book shows you that most of us have a wonderful life compared to some strong children who get the bad end of the stick.

on Feb. 24 2011 at 11:49 am
StayClassy1 SILVER, Stockton, California
5 articles 1 photo 40 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Buy me food so i know it's real"

I LOVED this book. Very emotional!

on Feb. 2 2011 at 6:45 pm
Amsterdamsel DIAMOND, Henderson , Nevada
54 articles 2 photos 69 comments
I LOVE THIS BOOK. everytime i went to the bookstore i read a litttle bit and finished it, very touching

princess6 GOLD said...
on Feb. 2 2011 at 5:15 pm
princess6 GOLD, Berwyn, Illinois
10 articles 0 photos 42 comments

Favorite Quote:
"You choose your own destiny" :)

He enlisted in the airforce since he couldn't afford college, i'm not sure if he went back and attended college but the last book did not say so

princess6 GOLD said...
on Feb. 2 2011 at 5:08 pm
princess6 GOLD, Berwyn, Illinois
10 articles 0 photos 42 comments

Favorite Quote:
"You choose your own destiny" :)

Dave Pelzer has the third worse child abuse case in California history (the first two are dead), the book is very sad but you shoud read A Man Named Dave, it shows that yes he had an extremely difficult childhood but at the end of the day only your own actions define you as a person

on Feb. 2 2011 at 1:50 pm
love this book so much it was so sad though but really good

Lizzy said...
on Feb. 2 2011 at 6:38 am
I am reading the book now and it shocked me to a remarkably large extent the hardships and difficulties David went through. His courage and determination is admirable.

Jojoo BRONZE said...
on Jan. 11 2011 at 1:42 pm
Jojoo BRONZE, Accra, Other
4 articles 2 photos 1 comment

Favorite Quote:
Life's too short to focus on people who don't matter .
If it's too good to be true, it probably is.

A really well written review!I have read this book several times and I have cried each time.

emidawn said...
on Jan. 11 2011 at 9:41 am
this book is so interesting that i kind of want to read it, but after i hear that this poor child was beaten... i think i would'nt be able to finish it. 5 stars for the reviewer! :)

pRiCkLy~GiRl said...
on Jan. 7 2011 at 11:44 am
Wow i almost cried 2 i really wanna read the ole thing

on Nov. 28 2010 at 8:35 am
manga_maniac SILVER, Bloomington, Indiana
8 articles 1 photo 79 comments
i had a friend who read this, and i picked it up while waiting in a bookstore one time. i only got through about 5 pages and almost cried.

Senga123 said...
on Nov. 28 2010 at 7:05 am
Although i agree with you, it was a fantastic book, there are some people who say it may not been as gruesome as he made it sound. I agree with xAllegria for the most part. 

on Nov. 28 2010 at 5:51 am
xAllegria BRONZE, Singapore, Other
1 article 2 photos 112 comments

Favorite Quote:
Ça fait tellement du bien d’aimer les gens qu’on aime, que ça finit par faire mal. Je sais pas comment on survit a ça. Non franchement, je sais pas. LOL (laughing out loud) ®, Lola.

First off I was also quite touched by the book, and appalled by all the abuse the kid went through. The fact that the story is true also makes it all the more shocking and makes the reader want to react to child abuse.

However, I don't think the book was meant to be a great literary work so much as a message to be strongly conveyed. Therefore I disagree that the book is a literary masterpiece, or extremely well written etc. It's easily visualized because the details are gruesome enough as they are. Just saying. :)


on Nov. 17 2010 at 3:56 pm
uhm, not to be rude but this is too a true story and i doubt what you think happened is true but i didn't in the end of the book it's the author telling the readers how he made it out and everything ! i just read the book so don't trry to prove me wrong and i doubt somebody would go to court for that because there are some wayy worse books out there! -thankyou!

chey-chey said...
on Nov. 10 2010 at 8:48 am
It is sad that the book is good and i am going to read it one more time i cried in it it has to stop

Susie said...
on Nov. 6 2010 at 12:13 pm
Susie, Brighton, Other
0 articles 0 photos 1 comment

Favorite Quote:
Persevere In Everything You Do

This story isnt real - the author has had many sessions in court and has been sued because most of the story was made up.

B@rb!3 said...
on Oct. 26 2010 at 3:33 pm
great book but a sad story