A Child Called It/   Dave Pelzer
Omaha Press, 1995, 160pp
Nonfiction

You thought your mom loved you, but she abused you.  You wondered why you had been the one chosen to get these beatings. You thought, what did I do so wrong to deserve this kind of life?

The book A Child Called It is about a young boy named David who had a wonderful life but then started to get beat by his mom. David and his family lived in a two story house; it was behind all houses in their own little corner. David’s older brother Ron was like his best friend until all the beatings began to occur. Their mother would not allow any of his brothers to interact with him at any given time.  She also told David he was a disgrace and a troubled boy and that she had wished he was dead. David’s mother and father always got into arguments at night about David .The father had been fighting for David to have food, but the mother wouldn’t allow it. The type of tone that I would think Dave the author had set was excitement and then terrified, furious, and he Dave thought that his mom Catherine was mischievous.

I think that Dave did achieve his goal. His purpose was to inform us about abuse that others may get from their parents. This piece of writing has been effective to others in this real life time. It is powerful because the boy David hasn’t given up, and ran or kills himself from all the beatings.  The writing wasn’t difficult but the way he switched the plots it became a little hard. The book was a little beautiful but not all that hearing about the beatings and how he tried to beat his mother at her own games. The strengths and weakness of the book was his beatings and the strengths were once he realize how to neat her. I found the book interesting and also motivational, if I was to be in the same places he was then I would feel the same way and do the same as him. I would recommend this book to the ages 11-18. Because I believe that if there weren’t bullies like it is today and if parents weren’t like they were then this wouldn’t happen.

The book left me with WOW! REALLY!, OH NO! what I want the reader to emphasize is that as your reading you really have to visualize what is happening or you won’t see the point of view where he is coming from. ”I felt so scared I stomped my feet in protest. But mother continued to force me on top of the stove. I watched the flames, praying the gas might run out.-Dave Pelzer-