Over 3 million reports of child abuse are filed each year and more than five children die every day from child abuse. Imagine being beaten, discouraged and starved by your own mother every single day. The book "A child Called It" written by David Pelzer is a heart breaking yet inspiring book. David Pelzer, the author was actually the young child that suffered eight years of unpredictable and torturous " games" his mother liked to play with him. Imagine being beaten, discouraged and starved by your own mother. Well, that is what David experienced from what was supposed to be his caring and loving mother. " I live in a dark world with dark people…but soon there will be a light to guide me through it". Young David once quoted that at age eight. Him as the author and victim amazingly delivered such an eye-opening story to the world .
All throughout his horrifying childhood David stood strong. Although at many times he was overtaken by such fear and loneliness. The lonely child explains through out the book of his terrible times. Only six years old at the time David's alcoholic mother makes him regurgitate his meal because he ate without permission. It's so cruel of her to make him do that amid all the other terrible "games" she plays. What was even worse than that disturbing action was David's mother made him drink Clorox cleaner and then slashed his stomach with a knife. This part of the book left me speechless. How could a mother do that to her own kid? After few of the many brutal moments like those David's hope started fading quickly.
Still with the hideous moments going on at home , David grew weaker, more angry, and more hatred towards his brothers. He despised his brothers because they were never beaten or starved….it was just him. One day while his mother took his brothers to McDonald's David was forced to sit in the car and wait. His mother never allowed him to eat. It's terrible. I can't even imagine how he felt because I know my mother would never do that to me. As each pressuring minute passed David knew that if he was going to escape from his horrible life it had to be there and then. David bolted out of the car and he sprinted all the way to the police station where they would bring him to a foster home to find a loving family and recover from not only his external bruised wounds but his internal heart wounds as well. From that day, March 5, 1973 David James Pelzer knew for a fact from the California department of police, that he was free. I was so happy when David felt a sigh of relief. No child should never have to experience what he had to.
A report of child abuse is made every ten seconds, and more than 5 kids die each day in America because of abuse. Stories like David Pelzer's are heartbreaking and awareness worthy stories. With the common abuse rate going up in our country, we should emphasize the importance and seriousness of child abuse and neglect cases. With all of the reasoning's I shared from the book are why I loved it. It tells an incredible story of a young boy's brave journey through the unthinkable darkness of his early stages of childhood. In the sequel "The Lost Boy" it tells of David's life trying to find love from his new foster family. I hope at least just one more person becomes aware of the terrifying crimes that actually go on in our world and maybe just maybe we can put a stop to child abuse once and for all .
