By Dave Pelzer, 2001

ISBN 0752837508

David J. Pelzer's mother, Catherine Roerva, was, he writes in this ghastly, fascinating memoir, a devoted den mother to the Cub Scouts in her care but not to David, her son, whom she referred to as "an It". This book is a brief, horrifying account of the bizarre tortures she inflicted on him, told from the point of view of the author as a young boy being starved, stabbed, smashed face-first into mirrors, forced to eat the contents of his sibling's diapers and a spoonful of ammonia, and burned over a gas stove by a maniacal, alcoholic mom.

Sometimes she claimed he had violated some rule--no walking on the grass at school--but mostly it was pure sadism. Inexplicably, his father didn't protect him; only an alert schoolteacher saved David. One wants to learn more about his ordeal and its aftermath, and now he's written a sequel, The Lost Boy , detailing his life in the foster-care system.

Though it's a grim story, A Child Called "It" is very much in the tradition of Chicken Soup for the Couple's Soul and the many books in that upbeat series, whose author Pelzer thanks for helping get his book going. It's all about weathering adversity to find love and Pelzer is an expert witness.-- Christine Buttery The media continue to report shocking and almost unbelievable stories of child abuse. Invariably the same questions are asked.

Why is this still happening?Why did no one notice what was going on?There are never any satisfactory answers, often because the child is dead.

Pelzer courageously allows us to be a fly on the wall throughout his terror-soaked childhood. We are with him every day, through every incident and every minute of toture. This is the story of a tiny soldier battling to keep alive in the face of horrific treatment by his alcoholic mother.

Like all real wars, it's wholly encompassing for both participants and observers, engaging every nerve and sinew, every ounce of suffering. From primary school onwards, Dave is continually denied food, denied even the contents of the trash can, forced to eat faeces, burned over the gas stove, stabbed in the stomach, asphyxiated with ammonia and sent to sleep in the unheated basement like a dog or an 'It'. Why didn't he tell someone?With Dave's help we realize that the power of an aggressive parent is absolute and the fear instilled is paralysing.

Dave explains how difficult it was for outsiders to connect the well-dressed, public spirited neighbour with the alter ego who succumbed to drunken rages and sadistic acts within the security of their own home. Dave's survival rests entirely on his will to live which he keeps alive with small acts of defiance. There is something in suffering and surviving that builds an inner strength and the suvivor may well, as Pelzer has done, go on to enjoy a successful and worthwhile career in the world.

This is the first of a trilogy; the second and third books will be eagerly awaited, especially if they flesh out more of the background and circumstances of his mother Catherine Roerva and his ineffectual father. (Kirkus UK)

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