A Review of a Child Called "It"

The book "A Child Called "It"" written by Dave Pelzer who is also the abuse child in this very heartbreaking story. It is about how he had to endure through child abuse for a long time. His mother abused him while his father and brothers did nothing about it. In some cases, his brothers would actually participate in the abuse when the mother told them to. Most of the things that his mother did to him could have killed him however, with his will to survive and not giving in to her, it gave him a reason to be alive.

His mother was a very sick woman who was an alcoholic. I personally am not sure if I could believe that she was mentally ill. If his mother was mentally ill she would have done the same to her other children and not have singled out Dave. His father was also alcoholic however; he never laid a hand on David he still neglected to do anything about it. Dave left behind when his father had enough and ran from his sadistic wife. When this happened, Dave's mother became even more ruthless in the abuse of her son.

Among the punches and the kicks, Dave had to suffer through much more. Locking him into a bathroom with a bucket containing bleach and ammonia was a form of torture. When these chemicals in an area that lacks air circulation then the fumes can become deadly. When locked, in this man made gas chamber, he would collapse and vomit. His eyes would water and he would cough up blood. After about a half, hours his mother would let him out and made him go back to the garage/basement to dump the deadly mixture in the sink. The garage/basement was his dungeon. Dave's mother would beat him with a broom, which could have, and probably did break his bones. One day his mother stabbed him in the chest and did not take him to the hospital. She dressed the wound herself and then makes him get right up and do his chores. While the wound was trying to heal, it was badly infected and Dave had to find the strength to clean it out on his own.

By the time he was about 12 years old Dave's case was reported to child services and a police officer took him away from his mother. He ended up spending the rest of his childhood in foster homes. When he got older, he wrote this book about his life as an abused child and then wrote two more books on the rest of his life. These books are called "The Lost Boy: A Foster Child's Search for the Love of a Family" and "A Man Named Dave: A Story of Triumph and Forgiveness."

Child abuse is something that should not be tolerated. So if anyone suspects child abuse then do not sit back and wait. Time is precious in these types of situations and it could mean life or death. Get help for those children who need your help. Even a call to the right people could make the world of difference in the life of a child.