Synopsis in a Sentence: A little boy must deal with extreme abuse and neglect at the hands of his mother.
My Thoughts:
This was a book that was fairly hard to read and to finish. Abuse of any kind is terrible, but when people abuse a child, it is just awful and there is no excuse whatsoever for it. In
A Child Called It a little boy (David) is subjected to horrible mistreatment by his parents (mostly by his mother). He is forced to sleep in the garage or the basement, denied food and is even burned. His alchohlic mother (if you can even call her a mother) verbally and physically abuses him, and even attempts to kill him with a knife at one point.
However, this book is not simply a depressing story of abuse, and I think that is why it's become so popular. The little boy, Dave, is miraclously able to not just survive the torment, but allows it to mold him into an imaginative and caring human being. This book is also a fascinating study of what makes human beings "tick" and how we are able to endure anything with God's help.
What I liked Least: Reading about Dave's monster of a mother is tough at times...some of the stuff she lowers herself to is shocking. You find yourself really wanting to know what her motives are for doing the things she's doing, but she never answers the question "why?"
What I liked Most: I loved reading the ending of the book when he was finally rescued and taken away from his awful home. It renews your faith in humanity when people fight for Dave to have a better life!
Dave Pelzer has written two sequels to this book...one about his struggles as a teenager and then one about his life today as a man. I read both of those books as well and I'm glad I did because they give you a sense of closure as to how the sad little boy, Dave, finally found happiness!
