"a Child Called It" by Dave Pelzer

I've read the book "A Child Called It" by Dave Pelzer. The book is the author's words about his own childhood.

- The Author -

Dave Pelzer has experienced a truly extraordinary life. As a child he endured the horrors of child abuse, included physical torture, mental cruelty and starvation.

When Dave was rescued from his terrible life, he was identified as one of the most abused children in the state of California's history.

Today he's written four books about child abuse.

- A Child Called "It"

- The Lost Bo

- A Man Named Dave

- My Story

He's won the Pulitzer Price once, with A Child Called It, and nominated twice.

- The Book -

This first book about Pelzer's childhood tells us about his early days, from the birth till his thirteenth year when he was rescued.

The first five years in Dave's life seems to have been normal and happy. His mother and father loved each other and their three children.

In the book Dave describes these happy days with situations like when they go away fishing, have picnics in the park and stories about their Christmases which, according to Dave, was fantastic.

But life tears the family apart. The father, who is a fireman, works a lot and spends less time with the family. The mother starts drinking and it's now Dave's hell begins.

Following the drinking the mother becomes very aggressive and hostile. She announces Dave as the family's source to unhappiness and punishes him. At first Dave's brothers tries to protect their brother which results in more punishments both for Dave and the brothers so they stop with this. By time the mother teaches the brothers too to hate Dave. The only family member who shows Dave some kind of respect and love is the father but he doesn't spend very much time home.

In the beginning of Dave's Dark years he "only" had to make various chores to satisfy the mother but by time the punishments became crueler and after a while pure torture.

He is now the family's slave. He is no longer seen as the boy Dave, he's just the "It".

The "It" lives in the basement on a blanket. He's only outside the house when he's in school. The rest of the time he has to finish all of the mother's chores otherwise he gets punishments. The mother starves him, plays sick "games" with him and tortures him both mentally and physically.

In school he's being mobbed. He got the same clothes everyday and starts to smell. He doesn't get any lunch from home and begins