Latest reviews about A Child Called "It"

moms2cents says "The will of a child to survive" about A Child Called "It"

moms2cents — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 00:52:29 GMT

My 12 year old told me she wanted to read "A Child Called IT", so off we went to the library. I had never heard of the book and had no idea what it was about. At the time it was written it was discribed as a document of one of the worst child abuse cases in the state of CA. When we located the book and I read the back cover, I was very concerned that it would be disturbing to my daughter, but she insisted. Well, my 12 year old read it, my 14 year old read it, and I read it. We all agree it was an interesting read. The book is not written very well, but it keeps your attention. I kept asking myself, why wouldn't anyone help this poor child? It shows how far we've come in the past 30 years of recognizing and reporting the signs of abuse. Congratulations to Mr. Peltzer for having the courage to share his story with the world....

sandra2140 says "a child called it what is happening to the world" about A Child Called "It"

sandra2140 — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 15:10:27 GMT

the book a child called it was touching, emotional, and heart wrenching no child should have to go through what mr pelzer went through. this was a well written book that went straight to the heart. i cried the whole way through the book. but after i cried i said there must be something that we can do to prevent this from happening to our children . they are our most precious assets.anyone that does anything to hurt a child need to be put away for good. a child need to be cuddled and hugged not beaten and slugged.if you haven't read this book please do so.

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angelbabe says "Tragic but great book" about A Child Called "It"

angelbabe — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 23:53:33 GMT

This is such a Tragic story, it absolutly breaks my heart. This book is so well written and keeps you interested through the whole thing (I read it in less than a day). I think it makes you realize there are alot of sick people out there and these children are helpless and scared. People need to be aware and keep there eye out to help stop child abuse....

AnnaReed says "Its a heart gripping story and a must read. " about A Child Called "It"

AnnaReed — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 01:32:09 GMT

This is a good read. I would highly recommend it to anyone, along with the next two books in the series. Its a heart gripping story that will make you cry, and make you wish you could jump into the book to beat the tar out of that woman. Once you start reading it you won't want to put it down until you have finished it. Its a must read....

VictoriousMary says "A Child Called It - A True Story" about A Child Called "It"

VictoriousMary — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 16:46:00 GMT

A Child Called It was recommended to me by one of the Deacons at our church. He is the chaplian for the police department. I read it in one sitting. The book would be a horror novel if it were not true. It makes you cry because it is true. I felt so helpless.

As an educator, I looked over the children I interacted with for several weeks to be sure I saw no signs of malnutrition, poor sleep, neglect, or abuse of any kind. My heart did not want to believe that there are more children in our schools like the one in the book that went to school every day and was not noticed by teachers and administrators.

It is a must read as an awareness book for all those who interact with children. We cannot be blind to the real needs and what happens to some of our children when they leave us. The book is written from the child's point of view, in his own words.

For the love and salvation of our children, right here in the United States, possibly in your own backyard, please read this book. ...

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leeann07 says "A Child Called "It" is a story you won't forget" about A Child Called "It"

leeann07 — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 03:05:55 GMT

This book was assigned to me in one of my classes in high school and at first i wasn't to excited because i didn't like reading alot back then. Although as i read through the first couple pages it just sucked you into this poor kids story. Each chapter there was something new. I loved this book it was one of my favorites because it opened my eyes to how some people live and this book also showed me how a book can pull emotions from you just like a movie. A great story. I would recommend this book to anybody.

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watahhmellon says "A bone chilling true story that will mix a smile with tears!" about A Child Called "It"

watahhmellon — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 05:06:55 GMT

This book is one word AMAZING. it makes you relize how good life really is and you dont have it as bad as you think...

bbm922 says "will bring you to tears" about A Child Called "It"

bbm922 — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 04:12:34 GMT

this is a very sad,but true,story of a young boy who has grown up with a horrible case of abuse. the stories that he pours out will bring you to tears. this little boy, which no child should have to endure, uncovers the horrors of extreme neglect and abuse in america. this is first in a series of books about the author's life. one of my favorite books of all time! this is a must read! i recommend this to anyone and everyone!...

nanpit says "mind-boggling, unbelievable, schocking book. Hard to put down." about A Child Called "It"

nanpit — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 20:00:21 GMT

I read this book and was shocked by what type and how much abuse a child can take and still survive to tell his story. Being a mother, I cannot comprehend how a mother could mistreat her own flesh and blood like his "mother" did. Why didn't the school, neighbors, anyone notice anything? There are so many why's, how come's, where were's involved. It was a difficult book to get through. A person with any feelings had to take a break from it or wouldn't be able to stop crying. I know because that is what happened to me. When the school system finally did step in, the tears were tears of joy! If you read A Child called It, you will want to read the following books written by him. I feel this book should and probably will make a person listen a little closer to the subtle hints that abused children leave behind....

penwrite5 says "To love a child, is one of the ultimate joys in life!" about A Child Called "It"

penwrite5 — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 18:05:24 GMT

Dave Pelzer is NOW one of my fave authors! I could NOT put this book down and as a matter of fact, cried through a lot of it. I have read the entire series AND his brother's book, as well. I have read this series several times, actually.

After reading this book, I did research on Dave and in that time-frame (70's) he WAS one of the top cases of the worst child abuse in history!

It sure opens your eyes to the terrible living conditions he had to live with. I was appalled with the types of abuse his mother used on him. Ever more sickened that his father did NOTHING to stop it, knowing it was happening.

I feel it took a GREAT person to overcome, move on and use his life situation to learn from and in turn, teach others.

I could continue writing - I have SO much more to say about this book. I don't have that much time to do so . . .

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thrift1 says "Poorly written, graphic abuse, little if any payout" about A Child Called "It"

thrift1 — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 20:51:53 GMT

I read page after page of horrific abuse because the cover promised the story was "inspirational". The only thing I was inspired to do was get my money back. Tacking a couple pages of happy ending on a snuff book doesn't equal inspiration. Yes, it's wonderful that he survived and overcame. That doesn't mean his book is in any way inspirational, just that he is. I mean, "Faces of Death" doesn't become inspirational if you add a scene of a cow escaping the slaughterhouse either.

Not only does this book not live up to it's promises of inspiration it's poorly written. We're told that it's written from a child's point-of-view but that's hardly the case. It's more likely that disclaimer was added so we'd excuse the awful writing. The author is to be commended for telling his story, but that doesn't mean he's a writer. If he really cared about reaching people he would have done it properly rather than slapping some words on a page and calling it good enough.

In the end we're...

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acrushedrose says "Child Abuse Through the Eyes of a Child" about A Child Called "It"

acrushedrose — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 04:55:35 GMT

I've never been one to NOT be able to put a book down but this one was one I couldn't put down. There are 2 more in this trilogy, The Lost Boy and A Man Named Dave that I am now looking for to read. How a mother could have 5 children and pick one that for no reason I could ascertain, hated with a passion; whom on several occasions she tried to kill...and a husband who didn't try to stop the abuse. I wanted to reach through the pages and pound this woman senseless. Children have no way to fight back; they are defenseless; looking to the parent for love and protection; yet this child knew if he wanted to stay alive, he had to learn how to play his mother's "games" to survive. Stealing food because she refused to feed him; the school faculty looking the other way except to punish him for stealing from other kid's lunches for food. Thank God, one day, the school nurse and principal stepped in and took action and removed this boy from certain death. I can't wait to read the next...

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