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A Child Called 'It'
 
 
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A Child Called 'It' (Paperback)

by Dave Pelzer (Author) "5 March 1973, Daly City, California - I'm late ..." (more)
4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (383 customer reviews)
RRP: £6.99
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Frequently Bought Together

A Child Called 'It' + The Lost Boy: A Foster Child's Search for the Love of a Family + A Man Named Dave
Price For All Three: £12.47

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Product details

  • Paperback: 240 pages
  • Publisher: Orion Books Ltd.; New Edition edition (4 Jan 2001)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0752837508
  • ISBN-13: 978-0752837505
  • Product Dimensions: 17.7 x 11.1 x 2.2 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (383 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 10,460 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in these categories:

    #11 in  Books > Biography > Social & Health Issues > Child Abuse
    #20 in  Books > Biography > Tragic Life Stories

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Product Description

Amazon.co.uk Review
David J. Pelzer's mother, Catherine Roerva, was, he writes in this ghastly, fascinating memoir, a devoted den mother to the Cub Scouts in her care but not to David, her son, whom she referred to as "an It". This book is a brief, horrifying account of the bizarre tortures she inflicted on him, told from the point of view of the author as a young boy being starved, stabbed, smashed face-first into mirrors, forced to eat the contents of his sibling's diapers and a spoonful of ammonia, and burned over a gas stove by a maniacal, alcoholic mom. Sometimes she claimed he had violated some rule--no walking on the grass at school--but mostly it was pure sadism. Inexplicably, his father didn't protect him; only an alert schoolteacher saved David. One wants to learn more about his ordeal and its aftermath, and now he's written a sequel,The Lost Boy, detailing his life in the foster-care system.

Though it's a grim story, A Child Called "It" is very much in the tradition of Chicken Soup for the Couple's Soul and the many books in that upbeat series, whose author Pelzer thanks for helping get his book going. It's all about weathering adversity to find love and Pelzer is an expert witness.--Christine Buttery --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description
Dave Pelzer was brutally beaten and starved by his emotionally unstable, alcoholic mother, a mother who played tortuous, unpredictable games - games that left one of her three sons nearly dead. She no longer considered Dave a son, but a slave; no longer a boy, but an 'it'. His bed was an old army cot in the basement, his clothes were torn and smelly, and when he was allowed the luxury of food it was scraps from the dog's bowl. The outside world knew nothing of the nightmare played out behind closed doors. But throughout Dave kept alive dreams of finding a family to love him. This book covers the early years of his life and is an affecting an inspirational book of the horrors of child abuse and the steadfast determination of one child to survive.

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Inside This Book (Learn More)
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5 March 1973, Daly City, California - I'm late. Read the first page
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Customer Reviews

383 Reviews
5 star:
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4 star:
 (28)
3 star:
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Average Customer Review
4.6 out of 5 stars (383 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Upsetting with a happy ending., 18 Oct 2001
By gavparks@hotmail.com (Birmingham, England) - See all my reviews
Im a 24 year old male. and am not into reading books, infact this is the first book ive read since school. - On a recent night out i got chatting to some old friends and while we were drunk they told me about Dave Palzer amazing story, i was so intruged i bought the book. I started reading it and couldnt put it down till i finished. Dave Palzer (the innocent victim ) is a model for any human being and goes to show anyone can triumph over any bad experiance. How his mother could go from been a normal person to an evil monster is anyones guess, but it is truly remarkable how Dave Palzer could manage to find the will to stay alive and not take the easy way out and kill himself is a lesson for everyone. I will be buying his follow up books asap. Dave - Wherever you are now, i salute you. you are a true hero.
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17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Be prepared to wonder at the survival of a small boy, 2 Jul 2001
By A Customer
I initially borrowed this book from my brother-in-law, who warned me that it would be hard reading, but worth it.

He was not wrong. At the start of the book, Mr Pelzer apologises for using graphic detail and somewhat childlike descriptions during his prose. He need not have bothered apologising, the description of events were written in the style of the young child he was whilst suffering (and surviving) what can only be dscribed as harrowing conditions.

I had the luxury of spending the entire day alone reading this book, something I heartily recommend. There were often times that I put the book down, picked it back up, put it down again, searched for tissues and then read until I finished the book. It was not easy, it was amazing, harrowing, painful and astounding... how such a young child could survive using only his wits in such conditions, how a parent can change so dramatically... and how little was done to help change the situation.

I have seen the adverts on the television about childhood abuse, but reading this book brought it home to me in a clear and concise manner.

Do not be confused, this is not a "poor me, look what happened to me" book, this is an exceptionally strong book, written by a man who has not only survived a difficult childhood, but has come through it to become an exceptional parent in his own right. This is a story of survival and a testimony to David Pelzer.

If I could shake that man's hand I would, gladly.

P.S. I bought the book, and the others in the series, The Lost Boy and A Man Named Dave. The story goes on... and it must never happen again.

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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A Child Called it, 15 Dec 2005
By A Customer
This is probably the most depressing yet the most inspiring book I've ever read. The abuse this brave little child endured at the hands of his own mother was so far beyond belief that I actually thought it was fiction.

This is thought-provoking, anger-inducing and truly heartbreaking.

I encourage everybody to read it at once.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Unbelievable
I think for me this is one of the books that will definitely change you. From the moment that I picked this book up I could not put it down. Read more
Published 2 months ago by C. Valcin

5.0 out of 5 stars frightening and truly amazing
A Child Called 'It'

I first read this book 4 years ago whilst on a sun bed in Spain. As soon as I began, I did not put the book down and ended up with bad sunburn... Read more
Published 11 months ago by E. J. Bisacre

3.0 out of 5 stars A hard book to like
As this book is autobiographical you would hate to be too critical. The characters are real as is the plot so what happened happened. Read more
Published 11 months ago by noggy1810

5.0 out of 5 stars Heartbreaking
I read one of the most horrific parts of this book on a train, and had to bite my tongue to stop myself from sobbing. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Holly Ford

5.0 out of 5 stars Traumatic
I knew that this would be a traumatic read and subconsciously I have put off reading it. As it has been sitting on our bookshelves for a little over two years I decided I should... Read more
Published 12 months ago by LindyLouMac

4.0 out of 5 stars A horrific read...
I bought this book when it first came out and read it in one sitting. It is one of the few books to reduce me to tears in sympathy for the writer. Read more
Published 12 months ago by h

2.0 out of 5 stars Over-rated (yet we love because its 'horrific' and somewhat true
I'm going to get yelled at for this, but here goes.

Dave is a great, brave boy, who manages to endure some pretty awful things- but thats it. Read more
Published 12 months ago by A. Russell

4.0 out of 5 stars Great book, sad and compelling but too short
I really enjoyed this book although I did find it hard to read because of the abuse against a little boy. Read more
Published 13 months ago by S. D. Williams

5.0 out of 5 stars A Real Triumph
I bought Dave's book a few weeks ago and read it in a couple of days. My sister told me about it and said I should read it but it took me two years to pluck up the courage to do... Read more
Published 15 months ago by A Friend

5.0 out of 5 stars Gouging the surface
This book is horrifying, disgusting, graphic and very unhappy.
It seems strange to me that this book is so good, but really it is! Read more
Published 15 months ago by Alice

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