A Child Called It Analysis

A Child Called “It”, by Dave Pelzer, is a story that opens your eyes to the world where abuse is revealed. This Novel exposes the world to a man that was once a victim of child abuse. This story tells the devastating story of the horrible abuse of the Dave Pelzer by this alcoholic, deranged mother. His memoir reflects the struggles he faced with abuse, and how he survived by relying on faith, determination, and his humbleness towards the strangers around him. Dave Pelzer, also the author of the Novel, lived in Dale City, California with is mother, father, and two brothers. His mother was an alcoholic and abused day in horrifying way—which included locking him in the bathroom with a bucket of noxious chemicals, making him eat his brother’s feces, starving him, and many other extreme forms of abuse. Throughout this novel, Dave’s father and brothers ignores the horrifying abuse going on in their household. Dave’s father and brothers sit idly by and allow the abuse to take place for years. Shockingly, Dave’s brothers would often take part in the mother’s abusive episodes. Later, in the story, the police finally intervened, and Dave got taken away from his mother and was put in a foster home. In this foster home, Dave learns that there is more to life and that people do overcome struggles. This change of scenery allowed Dave to see
I liked how vivid the author was about the things he encountered. His inner thoughts is what also made this novel an interesting read for me because it showed readers what he was really feeling. When I read Dave’s thought and feelings about being locked in a bathroom with ammonia, it brought tears to my eyes. At first, the brutal details in this book made it hard for me to believe that any child endured such pain for so long. I couldn’t believe how long Dave was abused. I just couldn’t understand what human being does this to a child—what mother does this to a