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To say that I had enjoyed reading A Child Called It would be an unrealistic statement. The book illustrates the horrors of child abuse and paints a clear yet disturbing image into the reader’s mind of one boy’s past with abusive perents. The first chapters describe a typical happy family: Mom, Dad, two older brothers, and Dave. Somewhere along the way, Pelzer describes his parents getting drunk and angry, and their relationship seemed to be falling apart. His father was never in the house, and his mother spent the days drunk on the couch. Inevitably, things went down a negative path. Pelzer describes how his mother and brothers acted toward him by reliving his past. “Mother smacked, punched and kicked me until I crumpled to the floor.” When talking to Dave’s brothers, his mother would refer to him as, “It” and, “The Boy.” Reading about Pelzer’s own childhood was saddening and sickening at the same time. The events were detailed in raw emotion and it was obvious. However heartbreaking the story is though, I think it was poorly written. The organizational structure didn’t flow and some parts seemed awkward and repetitive. Although descriptive, his stories did not provoke emotion in me. I felt bad for Pelzer, as anyone would, I just didn’t feel his pain in my heart as I know he would have felt. I’m interested in this subject and spreading awareness, which Pelzer does exceptionally, but for entertainment purposes it is not high quality. Unfortunately, this book would not be on my summer reading list.
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To say that I had enjoyed reading A Child Called It would be an unrealistic statement. The book illustrates the horrors of child abuse and paints a clear yet disturbing image into the reader’s mind of one boy’s past with abusive perents. The first chapters describe a typical happy family: Mom, Dad, two older brothers, and Dave. Somewhere along the way, Pelzer describes his parents getting drunk and angry, and their relationship seemed to be falling apart. His father was never in the house, and his mother spent the days drunk on the couch. Inevitably, things went down a negative path. Pelzer describes how his mother and brothers acted toward him by reliving his past. “Mother smacked, punched and kicked me until I crumpled to the floor.” When talking to Dave’s brothers, his mother would refer to him as, “It” and, “The Boy.” Reading about Pelzer’s own childhood was saddening and sickening at the same time. The events were detailed in raw emotion and it was obvious. However heartbreaking the story is though, I think it was poorly written. The organizational structure didn’t flow and some parts seemed awkward and repetitive. Although descriptive, his stories did not provoke emotion in me. I felt bad for Pelzer, as anyone would, I just didn’t feel his pain in my heart as I know he would have felt. I’m interested in this subject and spreading awareness, which Pelzer does exceptionally, but for entertainment purposes it is not high quality. Unfortunately, this book would not be on my summer reading list.
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so.sweete has commented on (2) products.
A Child Called It by Dave Pelzer
so.sweete, May 12, 2011
To say that I had enjoyed reading A Child Called It would be an unrealistic statement. The book illustrates the horrors of child abuse and paints a clear yet disturbing image into the reader’s mind of one boy’s past with abusive perents. The first chapters describe a typical happy family: Mom, Dad, two older brothers, and Dave. Somewhere along the way, Pelzer describes his parents getting drunk and angry, and their relationship seemed to be falling apart. His father was never in the house, and his mother spent the days drunk on the couch. Inevitably, things went down a negative path. Pelzer describes how his mother and brothers acted toward him by reliving his past. “Mother smacked, punched and kicked me until I crumpled to the floor.” When talking to Dave’s brothers, his mother would refer to him as, “It” and, “The Boy.” Reading about Pelzer’s own childhood was saddening and sickening at the same time. The events were detailed in raw emotion and it was obvious. However heartbreaking the story is though, I think it was poorly written. The organizational structure didn’t flow and some parts seemed awkward and repetitive. Although descriptive, his stories did not provoke emotion in me. I felt bad for Pelzer, as anyone would, I just didn’t feel his pain in my heart as I know he would have felt. I’m interested in this subject and spreading awareness, which Pelzer does exceptionally, but for entertainment purposes it is not high quality. Unfortunately, this book would not be on my summer reading list.(1 of 1 readers found this comment helpful)
A Child Called It by Dave Pelzer
so.sweete, May 12, 2011
To say that I had enjoyed reading A Child Called It would be an unrealistic statement. The book illustrates the horrors of child abuse and paints a clear yet disturbing image into the reader’s mind of one boy’s past with abusive perents. The first chapters describe a typical happy family: Mom, Dad, two older brothers, and Dave. Somewhere along the way, Pelzer describes his parents getting drunk and angry, and their relationship seemed to be falling apart. His father was never in the house, and his mother spent the days drunk on the couch. Inevitably, things went down a negative path. Pelzer describes how his mother and brothers acted toward him by reliving his past. “Mother smacked, punched and kicked me until I crumpled to the floor.” When talking to Dave’s brothers, his mother would refer to him as, “It” and, “The Boy.” Reading about Pelzer’s own childhood was saddening and sickening at the same time. The events were detailed in raw emotion and it was obvious. However heartbreaking the story is though, I think it was poorly written. The organizational structure didn’t flow and some parts seemed awkward and repetitive. Although descriptive, his stories did not provoke emotion in me. I felt bad for Pelzer, as anyone would, I just didn’t feel his pain in my heart as I know he would have felt. I’m interested in this subject and spreading awareness, which Pelzer does exceptionally, but for entertainment purposes it is not high quality. Unfortunately, this book would not be on my summer reading list.