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Age
Add Age Suitabilityviolet_butterfly_2506 thinks this title is suitable for between the ages of 9 and 20
yellow_butterfly_335 thinks this title is suitable for 10 years and over
blue_butterfly_805 thinks this title is suitable for 10 years and over
Quotes
Add a Quote"Children are not our property, and they are not ours to control any more that we were our parents' property or theirs to control."
As I stand facing the beauty of the never-ending Pacific Ocean, a late afternoon breeze blows down from the hills behind. As always, it is a beautiful day. The sun is making its final descent. The magic is about to begin. The skies are ready to burn with brilliance, as it turns from a soft blue to a bright orange. Looking towards the West, I stare in awe at the hypnotic power of the waves. A giant curl begins to take form, then breaks with a thundering clap as it crashes on the shore.”
“I told myself no matter what she did i would not let the b**** take me down”
“Even in its darkest passages, the heart is unconquerable. It is important that the body survives, but it is more meaningful that the human spirit prevails.”
“It is important for people to know that no matter what lies in theri past, they can overcome the dark side and press on the a brighter world.”
“At night I no longer dreamed, nor did I let my imagination work during the day. The once vibrant escapes of watching myself fly through the clouds in bright blue costumes, were now a thing of the past. When I fell asleep, my soul became consumed in a black void. I no longer awoke in the mornings refreshed; I was tired and told myself that I had one day less to live in this world. I shuffled through my chores, dreading every moment of every day. With no dreams, I found that words like hope and faith were only letters, randomly put together into something meaningless - words only for fairy tales. ”
“Inside, my soul became so cold I hated everything. I even despised the sun, for I knew I would never be able to play in its warm presence. I cringed with hate whenever I heard other children laughing, as they played outside. My stomach coiled whenever I smelled food that was about to be served to somebody else, knowing it wasn't for me.”
“One could come from less than humble beginnings, to become a winner from within.”
Summary
Add a Summarybased on how this book sounded it reminded me of the movie the color purple. there was so much abuse that this little boy went through. not to mention how bad his childhood was I don think I could ever have a mother who smokes all day and doesn't feed her children it seems so unethical. and to top it all off she makes him wear the same clothes for the past 2 years and takes abuse to the highest but the way how the author described what the child life was like can leave you in a state of confusion
Dave Pelzer, at around 5 years old started getting abused. He didn't feel like he was loved and the mother seemed like she wanted to kill him.He had to do chores and was starved, couldn't play with his brothers, couldn't play at all, and mostly got hit, punched, kicked, and other horrible things.
This book is about a boy who had it all a loving family,a home to go home to,food on the table ,and much more.....Until his mother gets and drinks. He has got brutally beaten by his mother (She stabed him, made him put his hands on the stove ,made him eat him baby brothers waste, and much more.) But an the end he no longer has to live like that.
This book is about a boy who once lived in a loving enviroment untill his mom got sick and drank. He started to suffer. He never took showers, sometimes gets to eat his brothers left overs if he completed his chores in the time he was given, he face harsh punishments like being locked in a bathroom with harsh chemicals. Even through all the hard things Dave was able to act tough and get through it every morning. He never tells anyone and he still loves his mother very much even through every thing she has done to him.
[This book] is [an] account of one of the most severe child abuse cases in California history. It is the story of Dave Pelzer, who was brutally beaten and starved by his emotionally unstable, alcoholic mother: a mother who played torturous, unpredictable games - games that left him nearly dead. He had
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Add a CommentThis book was a very hard read one it brought back ptsd flashbacks from my childhood abuse it was a hard read due to that.
Dave went through immense abuse from his mother who would turn his family against him and abuse his father emotionally as well. He accounts from a child as how people would turn a blind eye to the horrific abuse he suffered. At times it seems he would not survive and its amazing to hear a tale so insane. As a reader you realize the narrative is from a child who is aware of his emotions and the break down of his mental and physical state.
I don't recommend this book to those who have survived strong child hood abuse as it may bring back old feelings and could lead to ptsd episodes. I do recommend this book to those who are studying psychology and is going into a profession of child care to fully understand what abuse looks like and what can be done to help.
A 17 year old foster child in our home said this was her favorite book.
Less-than-stellar editing made this book choppy, but Dave Pelzer's personal story is nonetheless compelling and heartbreaking.
I read this because my teacher said it was a good book and recommended it to me. I had to hold in my tears. This book is amazing.
This book makes you reflect on the things one takes for granted in life. Tears, anger, sadness, were a few emotions that surfaced throughout reading the book. The fact that is is based on a true story makes it more empowering. Must read!!
Very sad but its also a must read. an amzing book
Reading this book bought back a lot of bad memories as a survivor of child abuse myself. Familiar with violent and abusive parents the mother's actions were shocking enough however early on I could not believe the father who did not perpetuate but actively witnessed the abuse could allow such things to happen to their own child. Then drawing parallels to my own history of abuse I understood that it is not so uncommon for one parent to be the abuser and the other silent parent the enabler.
Yes. Without a doubt, A Child Called "It" is a horrifying, but true story of brutal child abuse whose boundaries went well-beyond just mere cruelty.
This sad and very tragic story is told in unflinching detail by the person who experienced it, first hand, Dave Pelzer.
As a young boy Dave fell victim, time and again, to the hateful and sadistic wrath of his deranged and drunken mother, who showed him no mercy.
Now a grown man, Dave Pelzer recounts his experiences as a survivor of this terrible ordeal, hoping through his book that other children might be rescued from their hell on earth and not suffer so like he did.
Meet Dave Pelzer.
Dave is a survivor of "real-life" child abuse of the severest kind. Dave (now a grown man) has written this book chronicling his horrific ordeal at the hands of his alcoholic, mentally-imbalanced mother.
Between the ages of 5 and 9 Dave repeatedly found himself a helpless victim while his crazed mother beat him, humiliated him, tortured him, and, yes, even poisoned him out of her utter hatred for him.
Although this shocking story is true, at times Dave's harrowing experiences seem to go beyond believability, It's the reaction to his punishments by the other members of his family (especially of his father) that will truly blow your mind.
But Dave was a survivor. And, being such, he endured all of the pain that his horrid mother had to dish out and he lived to tell the tale in this heart-breaking book that confirms that Dave was not just an "It".
This book was really sad. the very dark corners of child abuse by viewing to the readers his horrific life as a young boy living with his mother that constantly abused him. recommend this book because maybe by reading this we should try to treat people better because we don't know what they are going through .