A Child Called "It"
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| File:A child called it.jpg | |
| Author | Dave Pelzer |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Series | A Child Called It |
| Publisher | Health Communications |
Publication date | September 1, 1995 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print Paperback, Hardback |
| Pages | 206pp |
| ISBN | 9781558743663 |
| Followed by | The Lost Boy |
A Child Called "It": One Child's Courage to Survive is Dave Pelzer's autobiographical account of his alleged abuse as a child by an alcoholic mother, Catherine Roerva. It was published on September 1, 1995.
Surviving a childhood of not only severe abuse by his mother, but the apparent apathy to his plight by his father, Pelzer suffered one of the most severe documented cases of child abuse in California history.
Plot
The book is about a boy (Dave Pelzer) who's life was destroyed by his drunk mother then saved by his school teachers.
Controversy
Pelzer's younger brother, Stephen Pelzer, is quoted as saying, "David was very close to me and Richard. We were the three Musketeers. David would make up lies to receive some attention. David had to be the center of attention. He was a hyper, over-happy spoiled brat." Adding to the controversy, "his grandmother, Ruth Cole (born in 1910) remembers him as a 'disruptive kid', with big ideas of imagination and comfort.'"
His brother, Richard Pelzer, is author of the book, A Brother's Journey, confirming much of what David has said and describing his own abuse when David was finally removed from the home.
References in popular culture
- The book was referenced in hard rock band Buckcherry's songs "Rescue Me" and "A Child Called It" off the album "Black Butterfly."
It was also referenced in the British sit com 'Peep Show' (series three, episode two): The main character, Mark Corrigan (David Mitchell) sits in a cafe with Sophie (Olivia Colman) who is reading the book, the cover prominently displayed. In an interior monologue, Mark proclaims: "Look at me. I've got a girlfriend. A proper girlfriend. Reading a best seller about child abuse."