I loved this book I read it in one day I Have read "The Lost Boy" I suggest if you buy this read the other one too! I could not put it down it was scary to think that someone could grow up being abused like this and lived to share his story with everyone!

This was a very real study of emotions in the mind of a very young child.I wanted to know how this story would end. I felt that since it was the author's life story,he made it to adulthood,but at what cost?
I was so haunted by the actions of the parents ,I wanted to take some kind of action to see that these parents were punished for the damage that they had done to him.In my mind I wrapped my love around him to try and ease the hurt in his heart,mind and soul.

I just finished reading A Child Called It and The Lost Boy. I knew this book was embellished after just reading a few pages into it. How can anyone seriously believe this account to be solid truth? It is so sad that someone can make so much money from telling a false story as if it were fact. It is even sadder that we buy into it and allow it to happen. I am sorry I did, I should have read the negative reviews. I trusted a family member. This book lacks the ring of truth as soon as Dave begins listing the abuse he recieved from the hands of his alcoholic mother. He recounts vividly all that she did to him, but never once explains why. The strange part is that for the first few years of his life, his family was perfect. They had a lovely home, went on family trips, had picnics in the park, daddy was a hero fireman, mother cooked delicious meals, decorated the house with hundreds of lights at Christmas, they got loads of presents from Santa, and most importantly Mother hugged David and loved him. Suddenly, almost overnight, she changed into a monster and began beating him, starving him, stabbing him and burning him. She laid on the sofa all day, drinking and watching her shows. The father sounds like he was abused by her too as he was not able to stand up to her and allowed David to be abused and drank along with her. David was the only one of the kids that was chosen to be abused, she treated all the other children well and they also turned on David. The family ignored him and made him sleep on a cot in the basement with no blanket. He was not allowed to eat meals with them and then not allowed to eat at all(not even from the garbage). He was starved, made to wear old ripped up clothes to school and not allowed to bathe(except for the days that his mother tried to drown him in the tub). His brothers and their friends would walk into the bathroom and see him laying there in the water and look at him with disgust. No one thought to say anyhing and when caught stealing at school some food from kid's lunches, he got in trouble even though he must have looked like a holocaust victim? No one wondered why he was wandering the neighborhood knocking on random doors asking for food? The entire town and school system were scared of his alcoholic mother so much so that no one dared to cross her. Even the cop that rescued him near the end was shaking and looking over his shoulder until they crossed the city limits? And he had never even met her, had only spoken with her on the phone. This mother was powerful. When Dave decided to embellish his abuse story he could have at least made it more believable!! The timeline even contradicts itself. Child abuse is not funny, and I am not making fun of it. I just don't believe Mr. Pelzer's account. I do think he was abused, just not like he portrays. He decided to make it sensational in order to sell more books. What he does though is make it sad for real abuse victims. He supposedly tries to get a message across, but fails miserably. There is no real inspiration here, only his inspiration to make money. He portays himself a hero. Any child would have done the same in his situation, survive. The will to survive is usually strong in victimized children. Many do grow up to inspire others, they glean depth from their situation and are able to make something good come from something bad. Dave Pelzer fails to do that. Even as an adult he fails to inspire me with his words. His journey is only incredible in the telling, not in it's depth. He seems to have gained nothing from his suffering. I find it hard to believe that people go to listen to him as an inspirational speaker. I hope his speech is better than his books. If my child were given this book to read in class I would have to object. It is no different than watching a spot from MTV for an hour. A waste of time, both.

A Child Called "It" is the story of the childhood of Dave Pelzer. Do to his mother's drinking problem, he suffers severe punishments, which he refers to as "games." Some of the "games" are deadly, frightening, and down right malicious. She grinds down her second son's self esteem by forcing him to wear the same clothes to school day after day.
His world turns upside down when he was only four years old, when the abuse began. Unlike most abusive parents, Dave's mother focuses on him and his other brothers are left unharmed. It isn't until after he is rescued that his mother turns on his younger brother, Russell.**
Thanks to some staff at his school, he is rescued from his mother. The years he spends in foster care are written about in his book, The Lost Boy.
**Russell is not his brother's real name. In his books, he changes his brother's names.

I read this book about ten years ago, after my first child had turned one and as I read it I found myself picturing my child as David. I connected with him in that way- like a real loving mother should have.
I've never forgot the horror that he went through and still cannot believe that it's true. I was happy to read that he finally escaped his terrible monster of a mother, but then saddened deeply to read that his brother was his mother's next victim.
This story is truly one of brutal courage and not for the faint of heart. I was truly touched by David and he lives in my heart to this day.

This is a moving story of a child's efforts to survive extraordinary torturous and prolonged child abuse at the hands of his evil unrelenting mother. Sadly his fathers and siblings stood by and let it happen. Starved, beaten, humiliated and unloved this child survived the hellish and horrendous childhood of one's worst nightmare.

This is the first book of a trilogy that exposes the worst of abuse through the eyes of the abused. I recommend that it be read by parents, teachers, social workers, and all who are in a position to recognize, intervene, and prevent child abuse.

Thank you Dave for revealing your story and doing your part to protect children from abuse.

A true story about the third worst case of child abuse in California at a time when child abuse was not acted upon. This book was hard to put down; I read it in an evening. Mr. Pelzer tells about the brutal abuse he experienced from his mother, yet more poignant was his dad's reaction to it, or perhaps I should say failure to react. The book brought me to tears, telling of a child's survival mechanisms during the horrible abuse afforded him by his demented, cruel mother.

No child should have to go through this. I know the mother was mentally ill. I hope in death she is finally at rest

I have never experienced such a large amount of guilt and shame over our world, until I read the memoir of 12-year-old David Pelzer. A Child Called It is a grueling and powerful autobiography written about Dave Pelzer's abusive early childhood. In most of the books written by Dave Pelzer, such as Lost Boy: A foster child's search for the love of a family, and The Privilege of Youth: A teenager's story longing for acceptance and friendship, they all resemble some form of struggling to be accepted by others and finding a true home. By far, A Child Called It may be the most disturbing book Mr. Pelzer has written. It seems as if Pelzer focuses on two different things in the book. He tries to help people realize his struggle for acceptance in his own family and also, helping people understand that they are able to overcome any type of circumstance, but falls short of providing understanding of extreme abuse or how he made his journey from "Victim to Victor."
It takes some work to get past the "this happened, then this happened, and this is how I felt about it" approach and the self-importance theme throughout the book, but the book tries ardently to provide the child perspective that we need. One of the greater obstacles to healing for males is admitting that they have been victims, especially if their perpetrator is a woman. This author has overcome that obstacle and succeeded in life by such masculine norms as joining the Air Force and receiving awards for his volunteerism. However, while personal accounts of child maltreatment provide crucial information about the realities of childhood, youngsters need insight and hope in order to digest the raw material of abuse. Since the book covers Dave Pelzer's life from age four to twelve, there were many types of abuse that can damage a child's delicate psyche, like psychological abuse. The only aspect that the book lacks is an in-depth analysis of David's psychological experience to fully grasp the experience that cannot be perceived as an outsider. I recommend this book to experience the hard cold facts of abuse but not for psychological analysis.

The Child Called It is the saddest book. It makes you cry. The characters are Dave, his brothers, his crazy mom, and his dad. Dave never got food.He only got leftovers. Where Dave lived, you do not want to know. If Dave had to live with his mom, he will die. In The Child Called It, there were no adventures at all!! I like the beginning of book . My least favorite character is mom. So start reading more of it. It is good book.

This book I bought due to it being recommended by a guy that I work with. This is a page turner and it tares out your heart. There were some chapters that tore my heart out, especially the ones where his mother burned him and knifed him in the stomach. If something like this happened to anyone else it may of killed us but it gave Dave Pelzer more inner strength.My daughter and nieces have also read the books and were totally astonished. These books I believe give kids the inner strength to survive. Kids see that a person who was severly abused survived and so can they! I just can't see why a mother that carried her baby for nine months would do something like this to her own child. Why didn't anyone step in to save this child before they did. Even his own father would not help him. A must read to open your eyes to the real world and no this was not a movie but a real life event that actually took place by a mother.

I have read the one star reviews on this book and take them from an objective point of view. I take them into consideration when writing my review here.
This book is one of the most horrific stories of child abuse you will ever read. It is truly heart wrenching and will blow your mind away while making your heart cry.
Wether or not the sordid details are 100% accurate (read the one star reviews for details), we all know child abuse is out there and that there are sick people who make life unbearable for many children. If nothing else, this story makes you want to join the agencies that are in place to help and protect children. You want to go out there and make a difference in the lives of abused children.
This book is definitely worth reading. Ignore the points mentioned in the one star reviews - an abused child/person may have forgotten the exact time line and exaggerated some of the details because they are telling the story from their own point of view. It is easy to get too tied in to a story and elaborate when you have emotion tied to it. Plus, it can be easy for people (the readers and reviewers) to brush off such grotesque details when they are too terrible to believe.

I just finished this book today, in tears.
It is one of the if not THE most inspirational books
I have ever read.
I grabbed my baby and didnt wont to let go of him, and I
want to give the author a hug for sharing his story with
us.

This book also made me realize that a human spirit such as David's can provide strength in the toughest of situations. David's spirit helped him to survive through his mother's emotional and physical abuse. He refused to let his mother win by staying strong and believing that one day he'll be free form her whether it meant he had to die to be free. He had no one to help him so he learned how to fend for himself. His courage and determination saved him from all of the suffering that he endured at such a young age. I loved this book so much because it not only makes you realize that child abuse is really happening to millions but that the story is told throught the eyes and body of a person who once endured child abuse. I really felt like I was feeling the loneliness and pain with him as he told his story. I could not put this book down. This book it is now at my top 3 favorites and for those who havent read it yet it is a must read!!!!

I thought A Child Called "It", written by David Pelzer, was an incredibly good book. As a kid Dave was abused physically and mentally everyday by his mother. He was beaten, burned, and even stabbed by his abusive mom. Not many children look forward to going to school everyday, but to Dave it was a safe-haven. From his problems at home it led to more problems at school. He tries to keep his troubles hidden but it's hard.
He no longer has his dad to protect him. His mom is the only thing else in his house besides his brothers. She blames him for everything. The way Pelzer recalls the events are amazing. The things that happen to him as a boy should never happen to anyone ever in their life. I never thought that it would be possible for anyone to have to deal with the accounts that he calls to in this book. You can almost feel the blows hitting yourself as you read this book.
I would suggest reading this book to anyone that likes a very well written novel. The way Pelzer illustrates his past is incredible. If you want to hear the sad sides of real life experiences and the way that they can be fought this is a great book.

This was a gift for niece. She's not a big reader, but could not put the book down.

If it's a fake or not, I don't care. It makes you think every moment how you're treating your kids and how you can be a better parent. Very good.

Google 'Dysfunction For Dollars" and "New York Times" as one search phrase and see what Dave's brother and grandmother are saying. His second brother actually backed him up ... and then wrote his own bestselling book. This is also a guy who buys an estimated 40,000 copies of his book from stores to sell at speaking engagements. Don't worry it's not made up, it's admitted to by Dave's wife, Marsha, who's also vice president of his company. It's there in the same article mentioned above. Er ... perhaps that explains why it's a "bestseller."

This is the same as the writer who claimed to have lived with a pack of wolves after surviving the holocaust. Don't be so quick to assume they're telling the truth. Oh and don't shoot the messenger.

When I first read the book, it became one of my most favorite memoirs. Peltzer, I thought, had such courage, strength, and endurance despite having gone through such a harrowing experience.

Then I find out everything he'd written was a lie and that the only reason he was a bestseller was the fact that he bought many of his books himself. Peltzer lied about his childhood and I realize now that the reason how he kept me captivated was that he painted gruesome images that horrify and delights the mind.

I have tried reading his book after finding out but could not stomach it - the lies stopped me in my tracks. But overall, the book is good but remember to read it as fiction.

A Child Called "It" is based on a true story. David is only five years old when his mother starts drinking and becomes and alcoholic, and his father isn't brave enough to stop any of this. David's mother was once a perfect mother and everyone loved her it wasn't until she started drinking that she lost everyone around her, she took out all her anger on poor David and would punch him and beat him. Years later David was known as "IT", "it's" mother believed to not use his name because he is not worth it. He was also not aloud to sleep in the house because he's not part of the "family" so he was moved into the garage. One day while "it" was cleaning up the kitchen, "mother" came in drunk as ever she sat down on the chair and watched David try to finish the dishes in the amount of time she gave him. As he looked at her and won't clean, she soon lost it and through a knife into "it's" stomach. As you read this book you can feel that you're with there with David on his journey for the fight of his life.
I absolutely loved this book, I couldn't put it down. It was an amazing book of a child's fight for his life. It was also the third worse child abuse case in the state of California.

Loved it, Got it in No time at all.. Was really, really happy with my purchase!

This was written so well. I know there is so much child abuse but never have seen so much in print. This book is written so well. You see all the torture and pain and know exactly what the child is feeling and experencing.

I loved this book and could not put it down. It is a touching story that at times can be too much to imagine. I think everyone should read this book.

This was a very fast read. It's amazing how someone can go through all of this and come out so positive.

I have never read a book that I became so personally invested in. You start becoming part of his life and wishing you could do something. You can't put it down. It is an emotional rollercoaster that is so compelling!

This is easily the worst book I've ever seen published. Who authorized this publication?

One would think that a story about a boy who was helplessly abused nearly to death, and stabbed by his own mother, would raise at least some sympathy. However, the writing was so.... bad, that I could only cringe. I began resenting the woman who abused her son for the sole reason that he grew up to write this book.

It's bad. That's all there is to say about it. Just bad. Dave Pelzer should have found a ghost writer to tell this story for him.

As I have read a few of the other reviews, people writing saying they do believe David Pelzer, I can not help but fear that is what happens to these abuse victims from the start. This boy had to endure torture for many years, because no one helped him. I think EVEN if this book is exagerated in anyway, this book has probably helped lots of child abuse survivors. This is a real heartfelt, very sad book. God bless David and his son.

This is a story of Dave Pelzer who was abused and tortured by his alcholic and mentally disturbed mother. The things that she did to this poor boy were so disturbing like eating his own vomit and starving him but his will and spirit made him a survivor. I couldn't put down this book. I cried when I read this book but was inspired by this boy's tremendous determination, spirit, and endurance to survive under such dire circumstances. This is such a great well written book but very sad. A Must read along with the Caged Animals at Night (another great read).

This is a very good and eye-opening and short book regarding an abused child who lived through and survived horrible attrocities. I am surprised he has any sanity left as an adult. It opens our eyes to real abuses going on in our society, that oft go undetected. This book should be required reading in school, at an appropriate age. Maybe kids would come forward, without cause to be afraid. This country has some real deviates in it, and this book makes known that very fact. Keep your tissues handy when reading it, and prepare to be appalled. What inner strength that child had.

I read this years ago, and have not quit crying since. What a read. Such a brave person and how horrible a beginning to his life was.

This was one of the first books I have ever read and I cried while reading it as if I was watching a movie. I hope they make a movie about David's life because this story should be watched (or read) by everyone in this world. It's truly such a sad story but written so beautifully! There are so many children that are abused by their parents, or other family members in this world and David lived to tell about it. I never comprehended that it's even possible for someone to be abused the way David was and become such an inspirational person (and normal at that).

This book will open up you eyes to reality of child abuse.

This is definitely a must read, especially by teachers!

This is one of the most heartbreaking stories you'll ever read. That being said, it's also very hard to actually read it. The level of abuse that Dave Pelzer suffered at the hands of his mother is truly indescribable, and I truly admire the man he's become. I don't honestly know if I could be as well-adjusted, not to mention humble, forgiving, and anger-free, as this man is.

This is one book you'll truly remember forever.

As a mother I was totally moved by this book. I can not even dream of placing myself in this mother's shoes and do what she did to this boy. It is absolutely unbelievable. I commend Dave for being so strong and coming to grips with his abuse. What an amazing man to go thru this and come out normal with an understanding of what he had to do to "NOT be like them". I can't say I am looking forward to reading the next book because his story is so sad. But I am very interested because his life and what he went thru is truly amazing.

This is the first book I ever read about child abuse and certainly very different from any other book I read up until then. I literally couldn't put it down. I was totally amazed at how a mother could be this cruel to her own child and kept telling my husband that I "can't believe how downright mean" she was. I felt the dad should have stepped in and helped his son, but he didn't. The poor kid was really alone in his struggle with his mother.

It is written in first person from a kid's point of view and I really felt bad for him. I kept hoping he would run away and get help and finally at the end, he did leave.

Normally, an autobiography is in just one book, but to get his whole story, there are two more books that you really need to read as well to find out how he struggled through his teen years and eventually overcame such a terrible childhood. They are The Lost Boy: A Foster Child's Search for the Love of a Family and A Man Named Dave. His brother also wrote an autobiography that picks up from when David left called A Brother's Journey: Surviving a Childhood of Abuse.

I liked this book because it really opened my eyes to how terrible some kids have it. I was very impressed at how tough and smart David was as a little kid to survive such outragous abuse. It also made me even more thankful for my parents who were wonderful and grateful for my happy childhood. Although the writing is very different from how authors usually write, considering he struggled all through school, I give him credit for even attempting to write a book! I recommend this to anyone to thinks they have it tough or who likes reading about people overcoming incredible odds. David Pelzer certainly did!

Karen Arlettaz Zemek, author of My Funny Dad, Harry

I read this book after a friend told me about it. It sounded like a good read. I never thought that I wouldn't be able to put it down though. I read it straight through cover to cover in 1 day. The abuse that was doled out on young David just was unimaginable. I had to keep reading to see how he got away. The other two books in the series are also well written, but this one was the one that held my interest from beginning to end. I vote this one a must read.

Ah, Christina Crawford, God bless her, has created a genre. With her scandalous and controversial "Mommie Dearest," she opened the floodgate of hundreds upon hundreds of "memoirs" (the term applied very loosely here) written by bitter unhappy children about their dysfunctional parents. Some of the mothers and fathers were famous... Others, not so famous. This is the case of the latter.

So, our poor little Dave Pelzer, impoverished, his writing career going nowhere decides to pull a Christina Crawford/B.D. Hymen/Judy Lewis/Lorna Luft/Gary Crosby/Peter Fonda/Maria Riva and dish out all the filthy dirty laundry about his mother, the late Catherina Roerva. But who is going to read a garden variety child abuse book when the abuser is NOT a famous celebrity? Well, where there is a will, there is a way! Mr. Pelzer managed to take his opus apart from the usual "Mommie Dearest" fare describing some of the most audaciously over-the-top child abuse scenes ever written, making the infamous Joan Crawford "NO WIRE HANGERS, EVER!!!" tirade look like a loving lullaby.

But, the biggest question is... Is the story true? Hardly. Yes, I am sure David Pelzer endured horrific psychological and physical abuse at the hands of his alcoholic, emotionally unstable mother and cowardly distant father. But there is no possible way a child could have endured such abuse for so many years. First off, as much as we hate our government, we must admit that the child services are a pretty solid organization and neither the neighbors nor the teachers would have turned a blind eye for as long as Pelzer claimed their did. Another good reason that points out that the book is a sensationalized load of bullocks is that even if by some freak chance nobody DID notice the abuse, how could the child actually SURVIVE for that long? Forced to sleep in a small stuffy room with a bucket of ammonia mixture (Gee, Dave, all those years and you STILL remember what the mixture was, let alone know the name of it at the tender age of seven), deal with infected stab wounds, forced to sit around for hours in soaked cloathes and then vomit and dog feces... Come on people! A full grown adult could not be able to survive this!

As for the books artistic value, there's very little. Most of it reads like a lame "Children's Illustrated Classics Collection" of they ever adapted "Mommie Dearest" or De Sade's "120 Days of Sodom" and the awkward metaphors and clunky "poetic moments" would even make Jacqueline Susann blush. The abuse borders on high camp, with such zingers as David's mother cackling madly in a rocking chair with a baby in one hand a knife in the other. And the book is also greatly unoriginal. It seems like a collage from all the previous "famous celebrity child abuse" books, with a good bit of De Sade's "120 Days of Sodom" thrown in for some cha-ching shock value. I am surprised the book didn't have moments where Mrs. Roerva would invite aging prostitutes to tell David about their kinky experiences. Oy...

So, like spider larvae feeding off its mother's carcass, David Pelzer made a career off his family's own personal misery. Even if his mother did abuse him (highly likely), he had no right forging these gross, repulsive exaggerations. There is always a tension between a child and their parent and things are seldom black & white. Catherina Roerva was nowhere near the two dimensional Godzilla monster as portrayed by her son in the book.

But of course, his mother is not alive to defend herself and David goes on profiteering from his alleged "abuse." Yet the facts speak for themselves. First off, how the hell could a small child survive this? Second, the boy's school staff would have interfered at the first sign of trouble. The whole "never comes in with lunch and never bathed" subplot would never fly in real life. Another big plothole, who in their right mind would allow Catherine Roerva to be put in jail for her crimes, let alone allow her to keep her children?

People, don't be fooled by the ridiculously high rating of this garbage, it comes mostly from naive middle school students who were assigned to read this book by their less-than-enlightened teachers and then terrified of getting an F if they disliked the book. It is nothing but a badly written, opprotunist pack of lies.

The book A Child Called "It" is by Dave Pelzer. Its about his life and how he got beat by his mom, and it talks about how horrible she treated his when she would beat him. In my opinion this book is an excellent book because its about a real story about his life, it can teach people lessons on how not treat their kids, teach people how to stick up for themselves, how to not let people treat you bad, and not to let people walk all over you. I recommend this book to people who like sad stories,happy endings, and people who like survivors, because Dave Pelzer is a survivor and he has changed peoples lives by writing this book.

A Child Called It is about a young boy who is horribly mistreated and hurt by his mother. Everday David has to prepare himself for one of mothers many "games". Some games might even end in death. He realizes he has to be smart and find ways to trick mother if he wants to survive her deadly games. He thinks of ways to beat mother at his own game and puts them into action.

There were not a lot of favorite parts in this book because most of it is very sad and depressing.(SPOILER)My favorite (Spoiler) part is (Spoiler) when David (Spoiler) he is freed (SPOILER) from mother.

It's a good book to read. Child abuse is a horrible thing but the book is very informative. Would recommend.

If you like this book then you must read "Bittersweet Diary". Although not as gruesome, this female heroine also endures the "tricks" of her mother but this heroine decides to get out before her demise. This is a story about will, hope,courage, determination and a dare to dream! It is inspiring to the young girl who tends to be a "follower".

I have read this book and others by Dave Peltzer, he is one of my heroes because he came back from such incredible odds not only to survive, but to make a difference. I recommend reading this book and all the others he has written.

I always assumed this title was an unremarkable addition to the intelligence-starved self-help/shock memoir genre that has plagued bookstore shelves for two decades now. When I began student teaching, though, I met one English teacher after another who used it in class. The story, they say, hooks teens and encourages them to ask questions about the society we live in. I am sorry to report that the English teachers are correct; boys in the eighth grade, at least, find the book almost irresistible.

This is most, most lamentable. Despite the recommendations of English teachers and the definitive evidence of student interest, I cannot advise anyone to read this egregious pile of tripe. Shame on Pelzer's editors, who should bury their heads deep in the sands of terminal humiliation. Shame on HCI for distributing this embarrassment to our language. Shame on English teachers for not seeking out stories that both interest young readers and support their acquisition of sophisticated writing skills.

I was wrong, though, to think that Pelzer's book is unremarkable: it is without doubt the worst piece of book-length writing I have ever read. I only finished the book out of morbid curiosity. Perhaps, I thought, the conclusion will reveal some unsought-for nugget of priceless wisdom. Or maybe a punchline? No such luck. My time has been wasted and, I fear, my cognitive faculties stunted by entering Pelzer's linguistically impoverished world.

Teachers and parents, help us work toward a better world by finding another book to put into young people's hands.

A Child Called it is and insperational true story about a young boy named David Pelzer being physically abused in his own home by his own Mother. The book shows how David made his way through life dealing with his horrific mother. He keeps his motivation through being drown, being burned, beat, forced to eat the contents out of a babies diaper, and countless other things while fighting for food in order to avoid starvation. He eats food out of trash cans, steals from students, and eats out of freezers in order to survive. This child's life was a living hell, but ahd the dedication to make his way through it with courage and bravery. This story is a must read that will bring you to tears and keep you motivated

A Child Called "It" is an amazing book about the struggles of a young boy and his abusive mother. Though this book was disturbing and cruel, I thought it was very well written and the author had a great writting style. I thought some of the most disturbing parts were when David would be burned on the stove or locked in the bathroom for gas chamber sessions. I also hated that some of his greatest memories were at his favorite vacation spot and his mother ruined those for him. I think it is important that Dave let out his feelings and experiences in this book. I hope that he has found a way to move on with his life and not let the past ruin his present and future life.

I could not put this book down I read it in an hour and a half without stopping for anything. This story although so heart breaking needed to be told.. For the man who wrote this telling book 5 STARS and for the book aswell

I really have to speak up here. This review is for anyone who might be tempted to think that Dave made this stuff up. I am relatively sure it's all true because my childhood was similar to his.

Child abuse by parents really only came out of the closet, so to speak, in the 1990s. The myth was, and is, that ALL adult females are ALWAYS motherly. We now know that mothering is a learned skill, and is NOT instinctual in humans.

Take the story of Cinderella. It is too grotesque to think that a biological mother could be evil to a child, therefore the mother-figure is downgraded to "stepmother." For anyone who has been abused by one's mother such as myself, it is patently clear that this story is not about a stepmother -- it's about a biological mother. European culture could not face that a biological mother could betray her girl-child as in the story.

My experience of my biological mother (whom I call "anti-motter") was not unlike Dave's, only having occurred ten years earlier and in upstate New York. When I was about 18 months' old, she picked me up out of my crib and smashed me into a wall. I shouldn't be alive. By the early 1990s, these memories came flooding into consciousness. She never 'fessed up. If I did some small infraction like didn't finish my veggies, my anti-motter sent me to the cellar for 3-6 hours, and it was one scary cellar with its cold dirt floor, damp sump corner, and spiders. While other kids were out learning social skills by playing with other kids, I was forced to spend Saturdays scrubbing floors, vacuuming, cleaning bathrooms, doing laundry, starting in 5th grade.

There were no protections back then for kids. Abuse was not seen as abusive, and people in schools, libraries, neighbors, extended family did not put two and two together, and certainly did not "out" it. As the saying goes, when abuse was seen, people "minded their own business," and it just wasn't respectable to INTERFERE with other families' child-rearing techniques, and it was perceived as interference. Spanking was common. Until World War II, beatings were typical. Society in general thought nothing of treating kids harshly and without compassion. Child abuse was not on the map at all as a possibility. The "caregiver" (that is, abusive parent) could quite literally get away with murder. If a toddler fell downstairs breaking her neck and died, it was not investigated -- it was assumed to be "a terrible accident."

Anyone who doubts Dave's accounts and experiences has not been what I went through living with a brutal biological mother in the 1960s. A person could not think this stuff up if it were not true. Dave Pelzer does not seek attention -- he wants people to listen up and prevent it from happening to other kids. And it *will* happen to other kids unless we know the signs and risk stepping in as powerful adults. So just learn from Dave's many side-tales, and become aware.

Females are no more "motherly" than a rock unless they had nurturing females who treated them with dignity and kindness growing up. My anti-motter was herself battered as a child, never recovered from it, and did pass it on to her kids. Thank God neither my brother nor I had kids because we likely would have passed the hatred to the next generation. Not having kids was the only way we knew how to "break the chain of violence." Some lineages deserve to die out.

Dave Pelzer is a life-saver. He has said what I had not the courage or awareness to. He is an amazing fellow for bringing his stories into the light of day. He deserves respect, not ridicule. He is hero. If I were Catholic, he'd be a saint.

All these five star reviews and the apparently wet faces of the readers was an impetus for me to seize the book and read it the first chance I got. I'm a sucker for tear-shedding novels, so you could understand my excitement and my all-too-ready sorrow for this "non-fictitious" little boy. Unfortunately, for my great regret, for both the work and my wasted time, what I read from that book was not at all what I expected. From the first page the story just barfed at me "I'm fabricated, synthetic as can be." The whole story has no point whatsoever, except that of morbid, preposterous describtions of events that we can't even prove to be true. Even if it were true, why would the author write about something like that? Who is he writing to anyway? What kind of helpful message is THAT to anyone? A story about falling off your bicycle & breaking your arm and learning a lesson about caution and attentiveness is more practical and useful than this piece of dross.
I could never undestand why some particular people's minds function the way they do. If you really want to read stories about survival, skip this one and read actually a book from this world, that can actually be put to use, starting from The Diary of Anne Frank.

i gave this book a high rating because it let dave pelzer get his story out the way he lived it. he wrote such an intense book, the way his life was like, and the hell he lived through. this gave him the freedom to tell the world what he went through. to give awareness to the world about what many children have gone through, and still to this day are living. i feel for this man, and i'm so glad he got through it, and that not a bit of what he lived through has tainted his heart at all. he's determined to be the best he can in all that he does. excellent telling, beautiful, and very deep. how can people do these kinds of things to children. especially your own. the bond between a mother and child is sacred and to just one day snap, and constantly abuse your kid, is horrible. people like that disgust me, and they will suffer the consequence, no doubt. in the meantime i'm glad dave pelzer has gotten on with his life, you can't dwell on what can't be changed. although i'm sure his memories will never fade, they will keep him strong to fight another day.

This book is so sad - heart-wrenching at times. How is it humanly possible to despise a person you have never met before (Dave's mother) and to care so deeply for a child that you have never met either (Dave)? The minute you pick up the book you bond with the boy in this story. This story is about a boy's will to live...and it proves that there are so many obstacles we can overcome if we truly set our mind to it, and don't let our spirit get broken. Turn obstacles into blocks..building blocks.
This is a story about one of the cruelest, most inhumane women who has ever lived, and the torture she imposed upon this young boy during his childhood. Forced to drink ammonia, go days without food, and face daily beatings, Dave Pelzer defeated his mother in the end. It is so hard to believe that there are people so cruel in this world...and even worse then that, there are people who choose to "look the other way".
Although the subject matter of this book make it difficult to endure, I think every one needs to read this book...if you learn anything from it, maybe you will learn the signs of abuse....which could save a life.

This book is wonderful. I think it should be required for ALL Teachers working with ages 0months to 13 years old. It opened up my eyes to lot of things. Of course these things happened years ago. But still it showed me how to be a better listener when children say things. As teacher/director of a daycare center children have lots of issues that they bring to school. Some times its the only place they have to vent. As a matter of fact I have my 12 year old reading it. So teachers please take the time to listen what you little ones are saying. It may save thier life one day!