A Child Called "It": One Child's Courage to Survive by Dave Pelzer
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Book Reviews of A Child Called "It": One Child's Courage to Survive
Book Review: Not worth the time to read it.
Summary: 1 Stars
I, too, like several others, started this book, and was immediately taken aback by the poor quality of the writing, AND the relentless onslaught of horrific, somewhat unbelievable, scenarios described by the author.
I don't doubt that he endured some form of abuse, probably severe, but it's hard to feel much sympathy for the story when there are so many holes, inconsistencies, and it's very poorly written.
Disappointed that I spent money on this.
Book Review: Do not perpetuate a lie
Summary: 1 Stars
Check out "Dysfunction For Dollars" written July 28, 2002 for the NYT Magazine. The author, Pat Jordan, notes that "...In Pelzer's case, how much he is healing or how much he is swindling is unclear..."Peter Vegso, from his former publisher, Health Communications Inc, is quoted in the article. He says "David's always complaining we don't appreciate him, David's a professional victim. I haven't a clue if his abuse stories are true, but we kept his book in stock when it wasn't selling. Then Dave got on Montel Williams, and there was an instant demand." The author also notes that "Pelzer frequently purchases his own books for his signings at a discount and then sells them at list price." His brother, Stephen, was interviewed. He denies the abuse and says "David had to be the center of attention. He was a hyper, spoiled brat."
If this isn't enough to convince you, check out "Dave Pelzer, The child-abuse entrepreneur" by David Plotz posted Friday, Sept. 29, 2000 on Slate. He writes "Pelzer, whose most insistent piece of advice is "don't dwell on the past," dwells on it very profitably." Describing Pelfrey's depiction of his mother Plotz says she "becomes more cartoonish, more Cruella De Vil. In the first book, she's horrible but erratic. By the third she is the incarnation of pure, calculating evil, saying things like, 'You gave me no pleasure, so you were disposed of.'" Plotz continues "his (Pelfrey's) dialogue, which is full of such over-the-top lines, is sometimes suspicious. Though it's reconstructed 20 or 30 years after the fact, it is eerily precise."
Memoirs like this and James Frey's novel, A Million Little Pieces, (another Oprah interviewee) should never have made it as far as they did. It's a sad commentary that they have.
Book Review: AWESOME BOOK ONE OF THE BEST I HAVE EVER READ!
Summary: 5 Stars
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!Book Review: A Journey with a Child
Summary: 5 Stars
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.
Book Review: Inspirational? Not Hardly....
Summary: 1 Stars
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.