A Child Called

Review By: Tenna Perry

A Child Called “IT”
Written by Dave Pelzer

I chanced upon this book one day at my local bookstore while trying to find a new self-help book dealing with the recovery of child sexual abuse. At the time my husband was rummaging through the martial arts books so I sat down on the floor and began reading A Child Called IT right there in the store. An hour later when my husband was ready to leave, I made a vow to myself to purchase the book at the earliest opportunity.

A Child Called IT is the first installment of a trilogy concerning the true story of a young boy, Dave Pelzer, who became the third worst case of child abuse in the State of California. Abused by his mother, ignored by his father and ultimately saved by school faculty, this gripping memoir is told from the point of view of a young boy.

Dave Pelzer’s story is with the exception of the subject matter, easy to read. The author takes the reader on a journey he or she will not forget as the images of this poor child become seared into the imagination. The reader can’t help but cheer the brave boy on and wonder not only of how a mother could treat her child in such a way but how a father could stand back and knowingly allow it to occur.

My husband David and I each finished it on the day we started it. The amazing thing is my twelve-year-old daughter who abhors reading, has picked this book up and has taken it everywhere with her. Two days ago I caught her trying to take her clothes out of the dryer with one hand while she had A Child Called IT in the other. In fact she and my husband have already begun asking me when I was planning on going down and buy the next two books in the series, Lost Boy and A Man Called Dave. My response was, “Next payday.”

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