Children Need Unconditional Love. Review on A Child Called It - Dave Pelzer

''It's a true story about child abuse'' was all what I was told when I borrowed this book. I concluded it would be yet another sexual abuse story. But, the child-abuse documented in this book is not at all sexual.

Be prepared to add the following to your perimeter of child abuse:

humiliation, physical torture,

starving (driving him to steal food, scrape bits from garbage bins)

induced vomiting if the child ate anything,

showing no mercy or love, slave-treatment,

making him eat the contents of his baby brother's diapers, forced feeding of chemicals (ammonia, dishwashing fluids) and old rotten vomited meals unfit for even dogs, intentionally stabbing him in the stomach and offering no medical care......

Wait a minute don't give up reading so soon. And what if I tell you that all this was done by an alcoholic mother to her 7 year old son? And no, she wasn't a step-mother.

After reading Dave Pelzer's true story of his own child abuse in A Child called IT,, words like horrifying, heartbreaking, distressing seem more hollow than ever and I'm not exaggerating. I almost gave up reading this novel half way due to revulsion, it made my blood boil with impotent rage. Anger at Dave's deranged, evil vamp of a mother and more so at his father for being a mere mute spectator to all those atrocities.

Yet, the book is a good read

Instead of the abuse I focused more on the child's survival instincts and his never say die spirit to emerge stronger after each episode of abuse. It is a victory of human spirit

What more trauma can a child face?

An abusive mother who systematically closed down any escape he may have from her clutches. Shuts out any source for food for the poor starving child. Poor Dave had nothing left as hope, she convinced neighbours, his teachers, social workers, his younger brothers that Dave was a 'bad boy' and asked them not to pay attention to his condition. He looked upon his father as a saviour, but the man had no spine. He always thought this ordeal would end someday but it went on increasing. Nevertheless, he found out ways and means to outsmart her, escape her, avoid her. Such a life may seem a dead-end for anyone, but not for Dave.

Its remarkable that a child his age fought himself against simply breaking down, dissolving into tears and giving up hopes for a better existence even though he felt like frequently. He constantly worked towards his recurring dream, that he is a prince and everyone loved him. It was his strong belief in a better life ahead of him that made him survive through and later escape his mother’s torment. While each defeat of Dave shatters the heart, its his victories that make you almost feel like standing up to cheer him.

Today Dave Pelzer is one of America’s foremost Communications Consultant. I’m waiting to read the next two novels in this trilogy.

Thanks to this book I don't lose my patience with children like before and don't find silly faults with the way my parents brought me up. It does become an unpleasant read at times, (definitely not for the faint hearted) yet, it will make you think twice before even screaming at a child.

Because a child, how much ever at fault, is dependent on you and expects, needs love and only love.