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| Qty | Store | Section |
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| 11 | Burnside | Recovery and Addiction- Personal Stories |
| 1 | Local Warehouse | Recovery and Addiction- Personal Stories |
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A Child Called It
by Dave Pelzer
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About This Book
ISBN13: 9781558743663 |
Synopses & Reviews
Publisher Comments:
This book chronicles the unforgettable account of one of the most severe child abuse cases in California history. It is the story of Dave Pelzer, who was brutally beaten and starved by his emotionally unstable, alcoholic mother: a mother who played tortuous, unpredictable games--games that left him nearly dead. He had to learn how to play his mother's games in order to survive because she no longer considered him a son, but a slave; and no longer a boy, but an "it."
Dave's bed was an old army cot in the basement, and his clothes were torn and raunchy. When his mother allowed him the luxury of food, it was nothing more than spoiled scraps that even the dogs refused to eat. The outside world knew nothing of his living nightmare. He had nothing or no one to turn to, but his dreams kept him alive--dreams of someone taking care of him, loving him and calling him their son.
What Our Readers Are Saying
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Average customer rating based on 30 comments:
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critical reader, July 13, 2008 (view all comments by critical reader)
Check out "Dysfunction For Dollars" written July 28, 2002 for the NYT Magazine. The author, Pat Jordan, notes that "...In Pelzer's case, how much he is healing or how much he is swindling is unclear..."Peter Vegso, from his former publisher, Health Communications Inc, is quoted in the article. He says "David's always complaining we don't appreciate him, David's a professional victim. I haven't a clue if his abuse stories are true, but we kept his book in stock when it wasn't selling. Then Dave got on Montel Williams, and there was an instant demand." The author also notes that "Pelzer frequently purchases his own books for his signings at a discount and then sells them at list price." His brother, Stephen, was interviewed. He denies the abuse and says "David had to be the center of attention. He was a hyper, spoiled brat."
If this isn't enough to convince you, check out "Dave Pelzer, The child-abuse entrepreneur" by David Plotz posted Friday, Sept. 29, 2000 on Slate. He writes "Pelzer, whose most insistent piece of advice is "don't dwell on the past," dwells on it very profitably." Describing Pelfrey's depiction of his mother Plotz says she "becomes more cartoonish, more Cruella De Vil. In the first book, she's horrible but erratic. By the third she is the incarnation of pure, calculating evil, saying things like, "You gave me no pleasure, so you were disposed of."" Plotz continues "his (Pelfrey's) dialogue, which is full of such over-the-top lines, is sometimes suspicious. Though it's reconstructed 20 or 30 years after the fact, it is eerily precise."
Memoirs like this James Frey's novel, "A Million Little Pieces", (another Oprah interviewee) and Kathy O'Beirne's "Don't Ever Tell" should never have made it as far as they did. It's a sad commentary that they have.
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MaryiaSky, June 26, 2008 (view all comments by MaryiaSky)
I reccommend this book for anyone with an interest in children, fostercare, domestic adoption, psychology or socialwork. It is also great to just read! There are also 3 others that follow it...read them too!
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mellymel1222, April 8, 2008 (view all comments by mellymel1222)
I have to say this is one of the most shocking accounts of child abuse i have ever read.
To read what that child has been through, (whether you believe his account or not) was difficult and stomach revolting but ended with triumph and a big dose of inspiration.
For Dave Pelzer to overcome what has been done to him has given me the strength to climb over all the little molehills in my life that I once thought were mountains.
It is a story of humiliation, abuse, brainwashing but most of all the instinct to survive.
View all 30 comments
Product Details
- ISBN:
- 9781558743663
- Author:
- Author:
- Publisher:
- Health Communications
- Location:
- Deerfield Beach, Florida
- Subject:
- General
- Subject:
- California
- Subject:
- Biography
- Subject:
- Abuse
- Subject:
- Abused children
- Subject:
- Foster home care
- Subject:
- Child abuse
- Subject:
- Specific Groups - Special Needs
- Subject:
- Children of alcoholics
- Subject:
- Family violence
- Subject:
- Adult
- Subject:
- Foster home care -- California.
- Subject:
- Abusive mothers.
- Subject:
- Child of Impaired Parents.
- Subject:
- Abuse - General
- Copyright:
- 1995
- Series Volume:
- 3340
- Publication Date:
- September 1995
- Binding:
- Paperback
- Language:
- English
- Illustrations:
- Yes
- Pages:
- 195
- Dimensions:
- 7.56x4.99x.48 in. .41 lbs.
