A Child Called "It"

Pelzer, D. J. (1995). A child called "it": An abused child's journey from victim to victor. Deerfield Beach, Fla: Health Communications.

Summary: "A Child Called 'it'" is a true story of Dave Pelzer.  When you read the book you will learn about his childhood and how it was filled with cruel events from his alcoholic and crazy mother.  He went through unthinkably events such as beatings, starvation, and locked in the bathroom with Clorox and ammonia fumes.  This is just a small selection of how her was treated.

Reflection:

Autobiography: An autobiography is a piece of writing about someones life.  This book is about the childhood of Dave Pelzer.  When reading the book you will learn just how bad his mother treated him when growing up.  

Flashback: Chapter one "The Rescue"  tells us that "David Pelzer,' he says, 'you're free.'" In the following chapters he flashbacks to his life when his family was like the "Brady Bunch of the 1960s" to his childhood when the abuse started. 

Style:  The way the author tells the story is very touching for the intended audience.  It hooks the readers and creates an emotional bond.  Example: "My relationship with mom drastically changed from discipline to punishment that grew out of control. It became so bad at times, I had no strength to crawl away--even if it meant saving my life."

Questions:

How many types of child abuse did Dave suffer?
Why do you think Dave's mother abused only him and not his siblings?
Why do you think his father did not help him and just leave?
What would you have done if you were Dave?