A Child Called It: One Child's Courage to Survive Author: Dave Pelzer | Language: English | ISBN:
B004FN1T3K | Format: PDF
A Child Called It: One Child's Courage to Survive Description
This book chronicles the unforgettable 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 tortuous, unpredictable games--games that left him nearly dead. He had to learn how to play his mother's games in order to survive because she no longer considered him a son, but a slave; and no longer a boy, but an "it."
Dave's bed was an old army cot in the basement, and his clothes were torn and raunchy. When his mother allowed him the luxury of food, it was nothing more than spoiled scraps that even the dogs refused to eat. The outside world knew nothing of his living nightmare. He had nothing or no one to turn to, but his dreams kept him alive--dreams of someone taking care of him, loving him and calling him their son.
- File Size: 1124 KB
- Print Length: 206 pages
- Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1558743669
- Publisher: HCI (January 1, 2010)
- Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
- Language: English
- ASIN: B004FN1T3K
- Text-to-Speech: Enabled
X-Ray:
- Lending: Not Enabled
- Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,007 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
- #2
in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Sociology > Abuse - #4
in Books > Parenting & Relationships > Family Relationships > Dysfunctional Relationships - #49
in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Nonfiction > Self-Help
- #2
in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Sociology > Abuse - #4
in Books > Parenting & Relationships > Family Relationships > Dysfunctional Relationships - #49
in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Nonfiction > Self-Help
A Child Called "It" is a real life story about a boy who was brutally beaten and starved by his mentally disturbed and alcoholic mother. At first, David Pelzer lived a healthy and normal life with his parents and brothers. His mother, however, unexpectedly transformed into a monster, venting her anger on her helpless child. David was submerged in freezing cold water, forced to eat his own vomit, slept in the basement under the stairs, stabbed, and forced to sit on a burning stove. These are just a few of the torturous games that his mother used to play. She treated him not like her son, but like an "it". David suffered both mental and physical abuse. In order to survive from his mother's sick games, David used willpower. Through all of her torturous games, David's inner strength began to emerge.
This book is a perfect example of how the human spirit 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. 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.
David is a living testament of resilience. His faith and personal responsibility helped him transform into an emotionally healthy and competent adult. A large percentage of emotionally and physically abused children become abusive in their adult years. The abusiveness could be a cycle, passed down from generation to generation. Their rage and pain of being abused could be turned on themselves or the ones they love. David, at a young age, showed strong signs of being a planner as well as a problem solver.
This book is the story of David Peltzer, who at a very young age was systematically abused and tortured by his own mother while his own father and siblings stood by and watched, sometimes even inflicting there own torture on the very young lad. As a mother of two, my daughter being the same age as David was when his abuse began, I found this a truly distressing story. I had tears in my eyes as David described how his mother would gleefully play "games" with him. On one occassion attempting to burn him on a lit gas stove, on another stabbing him and then not making an attempt to seek medical help for the lad. David was forced to shut down emotionally in order to survive the horrific surroundings in which he was forced to live. From sleeping in a cold garage on an old army cot to the severe beatings which could have killed him. His story is told from the heart of a child yet we can still only begin to imagine what it must have been like to receive this sort of treatment from the one person meant to love and protect him - his mother. In The Lost boy we are taken on the journey of Davids battle to be accepted into a society which does not understand the full extent of his misery. His many foster homes and schools and his ongoing battle with his mother who even after losing her son to the state, was still determined to hurt him from a distance by attempting to have him committed. David grows from a confused frustrated young child into a struggling young adult with the foster child stigma of the times firmly attached to him. Yet he overcomes all of this to join the forces and carve a career for himself. I am now begining to read the 3rd installment of Davids life - A Man Called David and look forward to following his story further into adulthood.
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