"A Child Called It"

We’re all looking for answers. We’re all looking for the one thing that would change our circumstances and improve life as we know it. A Child Called It did it for me. Dave Pelzer’s words changed my life, because his circumstances changed his. We hear about abuse, never realizing what truly goes on in the victim’s mind. Dave’s series annotates his own horror story. It’s brutal and not politically correct… but it’s honest. His sensory details hit so hard that it is impossible to hold tears. He keeps the reader engaged, because they feel a kinship with him.  Many have never been abused, but everyone has been hurt. There is a need to keep reading to know that Dave is okay.

            As children we’ve all looked for the satisfaction of others. In society we thrive off of others’ opinions of us. We feel the need to be accepted by everyone, and if we’re not, we feel obligated to change ourselves to be a “better version.” What if we are forced to change? Not because of society, but because we are told day after day, “You are worthless.” A person’s name looses all meaning. It becomes translated into “the boy,” the “bastard child,” eventually degraded to “it.” Now imagine being seven years old and experiencing all of that.

            I think about my brother, a ten year old, in fourth grade. Dave was at the epicenter of the abuse at that age. I look at him, and it is astonishing that anyone would have the heart to do that to someone… especially a child. I understand that Dave’s mother was an alcoholic. But does that justify stabbing your son; attempting to drown him, and burning his arm on the stove? Never. I feel that when tragedy strikes today, society looks at the perpetrator and analyzes their brain to come to a medical diagnosis.

            Dave did what most victims can’t- he told the truth. A decade ago he released his story, and today he is still inspiring thousands of abuse victims to do the same. It is because of this that we see anti-abuse organizations. I march in a protest rally every year regarding the same issues, because his message inspired me to take action.

A Child Called “It” is documented as one of the most brutal abuse cases recorded in California’s history. His books are some of the most heart wrenching. His legacy is one of the most inspiring.