Author Info:
Dave Pelzer is an American author who has written many of my favorite books. One of his best selling books A Child Called "It" is a memoir of his childhood. Dave Pelzer was born on December 29, 1960. He had an abusive mother and an alcoholic father. His father was a fireman for the city of San Francisco. He has one of the worst cases of child abuse in California history. Dave is the third son of five. At the age of twelve he was moved into foster care until the age of eighteen where he enlisted into the army. Dave now spends his life writing books about his life and how to handle abuse.
Character Info:
Dave Pelzer: The main character in this book, he is beaten, starved, and broken down. The protagonist who fights to stay alive not giving his mother the joy of torturing him. Dave Pelzer is a strong willed kid who doesn't deserve the treatment he gets.
Catherine Roerva Christen Pelzer: Dave's abusive mother who is an alcoholic. She was a great mom until Dave and his brothers started "misbehaving" although Dave only got the punishments. She is very bipolar and acts like a completely different woman around guests. She is the antagonist who seeks to make Dave miserable because him living makes her miserable. She is a destructive, heartless woman.
Stephen Joseph Pelzer: Dave's selfish father who is also an alcoholic. He is a fireman for the city of San Francisco. He started off trying to help his little "Tiger". After countless fights and things going downhill he leaves and Dave is left to fend for himself.
Mr. Hansen: The Prinicipal of the school Dave goes too. He thinks that Dave is a problem child who just steals food from other kids.
Russell Pelzer: The newborn baby who enjoys watching Dave get punished. He even makes up stories to see Dave get hurt.
Officer Smith: The officer that takes Dave out of the hands and reaches of his mother. He is the one who finally saves Dave.
Mr. Ziegler: One of the positive enforcement's in Dave's life. He knew that Dave was abused at home so he praised Dave a lot.
Catherine Roerva Christen Pelzer: Dave's abusive mother who is an alcoholic. She was a great mom until Dave and his brothers started "misbehaving" although Dave only got the punishments. She is very bipolar and acts like a completely different woman around guests. She is the antagonist who seeks to make Dave miserable because him living makes her miserable. She is a destructive, heartless woman.
Stephen Joseph Pelzer: Dave's selfish father who is also an alcoholic. He is a fireman for the city of San Francisco. He started off trying to help his little "Tiger". After countless fights and things going downhill he leaves and Dave is left to fend for himself.
Mr. Hansen: The Prinicipal of the school Dave goes too. He thinks that Dave is a problem child who just steals food from other kids.
Russell Pelzer: The newborn baby who enjoys watching Dave get punished. He even makes up stories to see Dave get hurt.
Officer Smith: The officer that takes Dave out of the hands and reaches of his mother. He is the one who finally saves Dave.
Mr. Ziegler: One of the positive enforcement's in Dave's life. He knew that Dave was abused at home so he praised Dave a lot.
Summary of A Child Called "It":
In the book A Child Called “It”, Dave had a seemingly normal life as a child. His mother was actually a great mom before she turned into an alcoholic. In the early years of his life, his family would go to Chinatown and explore. His house was always full of pets and exotic fish. Around the age of four things started to change, Dave started getting into trouble for misbehaving. Although, his brothers Ron and Stan were usually misbehaving also, Dave was punished the most. His punishments started out as small things like standing in the corner which then escalated into standing in front of the mirror and saying “I am a bad boy”. Dave always looked forward to his Dad coming home because that meant no beatings, at least for the time being.
On one occasion of being beat by his mother she broke his arm by grabbing his arm and then losing her balance because she was drunk. She then woke him up in the middle of the night and said he had fallen off of the bed. On another occasion he was forced to eat the feces of his younger brother Russell. Dave loved school as a child because it was freedom from his mother. One day after coming home from a Cub Scouts meeting, his mother made him strip and burned his arm over the stove. His mother starved him and made him sleep in the garage with newspapers as bedding. He was basically treated like a dog but even worse. Dave’s only resort was to steal food from other children which also lead to stealing food from the grocery store.
On one occasion of being beat by his mother she broke his arm by grabbing his arm and then losing her balance because she was drunk. She then woke him up in the middle of the night and said he had fallen off of the bed. On another occasion he was forced to eat the feces of his younger brother Russell. Dave loved school as a child because it was freedom from his mother. One day after coming home from a Cub Scouts meeting, his mother made him strip and burned his arm over the stove. His mother starved him and made him sleep in the garage with newspapers as bedding. He was basically treated like a dog but even worse. Dave’s only resort was to steal food from other children which also lead to stealing food from the grocery store.
Theme/Quotes:
The main theme of the book A Child Called "It" is not giving up and never losing yourself emotionally and physically.
Quotes:
"I wanted to hold on to him and never let go, but before I could give Father a hug, he stood up, turned and walked out the door, without saying another word" (33).
Dave's father left eventually but he showed many signs of wanting to leave before he actually did in the story. Every time Stephen and Catherine fought Stephen would leave because Catherine was a very strong willed woman who was controlling. I chose this quote because it showed how many problems Dace faced. Dave's father left and his father was such an important role in his life. It gave Dave another reason to survive his mother's game, he had to be strong.
"You are a nobody! An It! You are nonexistent! You are a bastard child! I hate you and I wish you were dead! Dead! Do you hear me? Dead!" (140).
Dave Pelzer's mother after falling deeper and deeper into her problems despised Dave. Catherine Pelzer was a psychopathic woman. From this quote you can see how much hatred she has because of her alcohol problems. No mother should ever wish her child to be dead. She gave birth to him so she should love him. I chose this quote because it showed her true character.
"I was so proud for beating Mother at her own game"(78).
Dave was put through many different "games". He would be starved if he didn't clean the dishes on time or he would be beaten for no reason at all. This quote just shows how much determination he had to not give up hope. He made his punishments less by undermining his mother's games.
Quotes:
"I wanted to hold on to him and never let go, but before I could give Father a hug, he stood up, turned and walked out the door, without saying another word" (33).
Dave's father left eventually but he showed many signs of wanting to leave before he actually did in the story. Every time Stephen and Catherine fought Stephen would leave because Catherine was a very strong willed woman who was controlling. I chose this quote because it showed how many problems Dace faced. Dave's father left and his father was such an important role in his life. It gave Dave another reason to survive his mother's game, he had to be strong.
"You are a nobody! An It! You are nonexistent! You are a bastard child! I hate you and I wish you were dead! Dead! Do you hear me? Dead!" (140).
Dave Pelzer's mother after falling deeper and deeper into her problems despised Dave. Catherine Pelzer was a psychopathic woman. From this quote you can see how much hatred she has because of her alcohol problems. No mother should ever wish her child to be dead. She gave birth to him so she should love him. I chose this quote because it showed her true character.
"I was so proud for beating Mother at her own game"(78).
Dave was put through many different "games". He would be starved if he didn't clean the dishes on time or he would be beaten for no reason at all. This quote just shows how much determination he had to not give up hope. He made his punishments less by undermining his mother's games.
Reviews:
A Child Called "It" was so riveting, neither I nor my staff could put the book down! - Jack Canfield (Coauthor of Chicken Soup for the Soul)
While this is a vitally important topic (child abuse), and Dave Pelzer's story is extremely compelling for his having survived unimaginable circumstances, the writing itself is mediocre. Given that fact, I would still recommend this book to anyone, and I probably will read the second two books of the trio of his autobiography. - Unknown
I expected to sob my way through A Child Called It, and I was so surprised that I did not cry until the very end. I think that I was too horrified to cry. Just when I thought that things could not get any worse for David, they did. I felt so badly for him and just wanted to reach through the book and hug him. - Unknown
I would recommend this book to anyone. It is excellent, moving, and makes you want to stand up and do something for abuse victims. I plan to read the next two books by David, The Lost Boy, and A Man Named Dave. - Unknown
While this is a vitally important topic (child abuse), and Dave Pelzer's story is extremely compelling for his having survived unimaginable circumstances, the writing itself is mediocre. Given that fact, I would still recommend this book to anyone, and I probably will read the second two books of the trio of his autobiography. - Unknown
I expected to sob my way through A Child Called It, and I was so surprised that I did not cry until the very end. I think that I was too horrified to cry. Just when I thought that things could not get any worse for David, they did. I felt so badly for him and just wanted to reach through the book and hug him. - Unknown
I would recommend this book to anyone. It is excellent, moving, and makes you want to stand up and do something for abuse victims. I plan to read the next two books by David, The Lost Boy, and A Man Named Dave. - Unknown