Book+Review

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Child abuse is a big issue in our society. Every day children are are abused verbally and physically. __A Child Called__ It by Dave Pelzer is the story of young David's courage and determination to survive in an abusive household.

The beginning of this book was boring, almost predictable in a way, but once I saw the transformation of David's mother, I started to sit up in my chair a little more. To my horror, the once caring and loving mother, became monster. Throughout the book she takes out her anger on little David with no mercy. This book really kept me on the edge of my seat, I was almost scared to turn the page. Although this book was bone-chillingly good, one thing really confused me. How could such a loving mother do such horrible things to a little kid? David must have been pondering this question too. I could really see David's struggle when his mom beat him, I felt his hunger when his stomach hadn't been filled for days, but most of all I felt his tears when he realized that nobody loved him. Besides being horribly beaten, David was forced to eat his own vomit, swallow soap, ammonia, and Clorox. This was just the beginning of his mother's "games".

The book is written from the perspective of a child. It is eye-opening to see how David perceived the treatment of his mother, as she didn't treat David's other brothers the same way she treated him. They were treated like royalty, and he was forced to obey her every command. If I was ever in David's place, the abuse would have greatly impacted my self-worth. I wouldn't want to live anymore, yet, David still had this incredible will to not only survive, but to rise above it all. David's childhood wasn't always a nightmare. There were the "good years" in the beginning and David devotes a chapter to the feelings of warmth and safety provided by his mother. By the age of 4 these feelings were replaced with fear, starvation, and the impression of being worthless. This entire book was painful to read, but I really did learn a lot from it. The way a perfect suburban family can become completely toxic has become real to me.

I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone and everyone. The fact that this is a true story, makes this novel that much better. It's incredible how such a small child could go through all that abuse and not lose faith in himself. This is a story of hope, determination, and belief, all things that David had throughout the book. Even though this book is so brutal, it is proof that there always is a happy ending.

Even though he couldn't see much light at the end of the tunnel, David knew in his heart that he deserved a better life, and he got it. __A Child Called It__ is a ruthless novel about a child's gruesome life with his abusive mother, and how he survives to tell the tale.