Dave Pelzer was brutally beaten and starved by his emotionally unstable, alcoholic mother, a mother who played tortuous, unpredictable games - games that left one of her three sons nearly dead. She no longer considered Dave a son, but a slave; no longer a boy, but an 'it'. His bed was an old army cot in the basement, his clothes were torn and smelly, and when he was allowed the luxury of food it was scraps from the dog's bowl. The outside world knew nothing of the nightmare played out behind closed doors. But throughout Dave kept alive dreams of finding a family to love him. This book covers the early years of his life and is an affecting an inspirational book of the horrors of child abuse and the steadfast determination of one child to survive. 'Dave Pelzer conveys brilliantly how his own determination allowed him to keep alive his dream of one day find a family who would be proud to call him their son. Truly touching, and emotionally shocking. A marvel' Best
About the Author
Dave Pelzer is recognised as one of America's most effective and respected communicators addressing corporations, conventions and health/psychology/primary care workers. His unique accomplishments have garnered personal commendations from Ronald Reagan and George Bush. He was selected as torchbearer for the 1996 Olympic Torch relay. He has dedicated his life to helping others help themselves.
Prizes
A Child Called 'It' received unprecedented media attention on hardback publication and is an international bestseller The UK hardback went straight into the bestseller list and has not been out of the top five since, reprinting regularly, mirroring the phenomenal US success It was on the New York Times bestseller chart for over two years Over a million copies have been sold around the world and it has been translated into 20 languages The follow-up to A Child Called 'It', The Lost Boy, hit the UK bestseller lists within four days of publication Dave Pelzer is one of America's most effective and respected speakers; he was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize for A Child Called It and was named one of the 10 Outstanding Young Persons of the World 'His tale will both break and warm your heart' The Mirror
Publisher:
Orion (an Imprint of The Orion Publishing Group Ltd )
If your friend places an order over $40, we'll send you a $5 coupon!
Sell Yours
Already own this item? Sell Yours and get a $0.20 credit to your Fishpond account. (Learn More.)
Reviews
– Customer review on 03/06/2007
What a story. How does someone recover from such abuse?! Dave Pelzer was treated worse than the family dogs, who by the sounds of it good! He even ate the dogs leftover food, which says something about the pecking order of the household. An awful tale of abuse that is quite frighteneing. Makes you appreciate your own life so much more!!
This is an amazing book. What an incredible child Dave was to survive the treatment he was subjected to by his mother. And how did he mangage to cope with the fact that his father and brothers all chose to ignore what was happening to him, in order to keep peace in their own lives.
It is an awful story. A heart wrenching story.
But one that needs to be told.
I finished this book, and started reading the next, in my third night of bedtime reading. I couldn't not read... it is an easy to read book, but not an easy story to accept. This should never happen to our children.
I was in shock after I read this. It is unimaginable that someone could do this to their son. Pelzer narrates in an emotional manner which is transferred to the reader, leaving you shocked and stunned at the brutality which is so calmly issued. An inspiring story, leaving you very thankful for what you have got.
This book is absolutly amazing. A real eye opener and 100% worth the maximum of a day that it will take you to read it. Dave's story is very encouraging and inspirering and makes you realise that your upbring probably wasn't half as bad as what it could have been. If you read this, be sure to read the 2nd and 3rd from the trilogy The Lost Boy and A Man Named Dave. Everyone could and should read this book.
This is a must read book. I was so moved by the abuse suffered by this child, it is at times upsetting to think a parent could treat their child in this way. It is remarkable how he dealt with his upbringing to become an outstanding human being. In this book I laughed, I cried and was inspired by his courage and determination to survive. I found his story so incredible I gave this book to my children to read (with guidance). We all spoke of the abuse, the suffering and his courage, a truly remarkable book.
Absolutely compelling. How on earth this went on for so long in a modern country is unbelievable. It's amazing this human's struggled for survival.
It's beautifully written, touching and a shocking emotional journey. By far the best in it's series, I could not put it down for 2 days. Hopefully you will find it as good as I did.
You can earn a 10% commission by selling A Child Called It paperback book on your website. It's easy to get started - we will give you example code. After you're set-up, your website can earn you money while you work, play or even sleep!
Authors/Publishers
Are you the Author/Publisher? Improve sales by submitting additional information on this title.