A Child Called “It” is a book written by Dave Pelzer. In the book, Pelzer tells the story of his abusive childhood. As a child, he was often brutally beaten and starved by his alcoholic mother while his brothers were treated with respect and fairness. His father tried to help him but it didn’t get far. This was documented as one of the most severe childhood abuse cases in California history.



In a Californian house in the 1960s, Dave Pelzer would get beaten and starved on a daily basis by his alcoholic mother, Catherine Roerva Pelzer. The abuses included Dave’s mother making him swallow ammonia, breathe in Clorox and ammonia mixed in a bucket, slam his head against the kitchen counter, burning his hands on the stove, and more. She also stabbed him in the chest at one point and made him sleep in the garage. Besides all this, Dave had to wear the same rugged, torn clothes everyday to school. He was also caught stealing kids lunches at school because his mother didn’t pack him any lunch. Additionally, Steven Joseph Pelzer, Dave’s father, would try to sneak him food at times. His strategy didn’t work because Dave’s mother made sure that he didn’t get any food, no matter what. Dave was even angrier because his two brothers, Stan and Rob, were treated with respect by their mother. At the end of the book, Dave is eventually placed into foster care away from his mother.



This book received many awards and was on the New York Times Bestseller List for more than 6 years. There was a sequel released in 1997 explaining the life Dave had after the abuse was over. I plan on reading it soon.



Overall, I thought this was an excellent book because it shows what some kids have to go through on a daily basis even to this day. It makes me feel lucky and thankful that I don’t have to go through these things in life. I think everyone should read this story. It shows how much strength and courage one boy can have.