a child called it book report essay

A Child Called It

Dave pelzer, ask litcharts ai: the answer to your questions.

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A Child Called It: Introduction

A child called it: plot summary, a child called it: detailed summary & analysis, a child called it: themes, a child called it: quotes, a child called it: characters, a child called it: symbols, a child called it: theme wheel, brief biography of dave pelzer.

Historical Context of A Child Called It

Other books related to a child called it.

• Full Title: A Child Called “It”: One Child’s Courage to Survive
• When Written: 1991-1994
• Where Written: California
• When Published: Fall 1995
• Genre: Memoir
• Setting: Daly City, California, late 1960s and early 1970s
• Climax: Dave’s teachers call CPS and “free” Dave from Mother
• Antagonist: Mother / Catherine Roerva Pelzer
• Point of View: First person, present-tense (in the prologue and epilogue) and past-tense (in the rest of the memoir)

Extra Credit for A Child Called It

An American hero. Dave Pelzer served in the U.S. Air Force, and later fought in the Gulf War in the early 1990s. In 1996, he carried a torch for the Sumer Olympics, in recognition of his military service and his struggle to boost awareness of child abuse.

Controversy. A Child Called “It” has been praised for helping victims of child abuse come to terms with their trauma, and for giving abuse victims the courage to speak out against their abusers. However, the book has also received a significant amount of criticism, and there are some who’ve argued that Pelzer exaggerated or even made up the extent of his abuse. Articles in The New York Times and The Guardian have raised the possibility that Pelzer is exaggerating his childhood suffering to sell more books (after A Child Called “It” , Pelzer published two more bestselling memoirs revolving around the same traumatic experiences). Pelzer’s brother, Stephen, has disputed many of the claims in the book, including that their mother stabbed Dave in the chest, burned him, or forced him to consume ammonia. Pelzer has also been criticized for repeatedly claiming that A Child Called “It” was taught in Harvard classes and nominated for the Pulitzer Prize (neither claim is accurate).

A Child Called It by Dave Pelzer | Summary, Quotes & Analysis

Emily Rogers has taught information evaluation and research skills as a school librarian for over seven years. She has a bachelor’s degree in English and French from Sewanee: The University of the South and a master’s degree in library and information science from Louisiana State University.

Melissa is an elementary/middle school teacher and has a master's degree in educational leadership.

Why is "A Child Called It" banned?

A Child Called It has been banned because of its graphic depictions of child abuse. Author David Pelzer describes horrendous violence that he endured as a child in a way that some have found offensive.

What happened at the end of "A Child Called It"?

At the end of A Child Called It David Pelzer is an adult. He was removed from his mother's home when he was in fifth grade. As an adult he joined the Air Force, got married, and had a son of his own.

Is "A Child Called It" a true story?

A Child Called It is a memoir by David Pelzer. Though his grandmother and one of his brothers dispute the veracity of the book, Pelzer's former teachers and other people in his life corroborate the story.

What happened to the mom in "A Child Called It"?

Catherine Roerva Pelzer was never charged with child abuse. Her son, David, was removed from her care when he was in fifth grade. Catherine died in 1992.

What happens in "A Child Called It"?

A Child Called It is a memoir about the abuse that David Pelzer survived as a child. His mother tortured him and starved him for years before he was finally removed from his home.

Table of Contents

A child called it by david pelzer, summary of a child called it, analysis of a child called it, notable quotes from a child called it, lesson summary.

A Child Called It , by David Pelzer, is a memoir published in 1995 about the extreme abuse Pelzer suffered as a child and was often called "it" by his mentally ill, alcoholic mother. David Pelzer was born in 1960. He was the third of five boys born to Catherine Roerva Pelzer, a stay-at-home mother, and Stephen Pelzer, a firefighter. His mother began to physically abuse and starve him when he was around five years old. When he turned 12, Pelzer was removed from his home and put into foster care . As an adult, Pelzer joined the Air Force, married, and had a son of his own. He has written eight nonfiction books, all of which are tangentially related to A Child Named It . Pelzer works as a motivational speaker, raising awareness for child abuse and offering hope to victims of abuse.

A Child Called It was a New York Times bestseller for six years; however, professional book reviews were critical of Pelzer's pedestrian writing style. Some even questioned the veracity of Pelzer's claims. His grandmother and one of his brothers deny that he was abused. Another brother corroborated the abuse and wrote his own memoir about how he became the target of his mother's abuse after Pelzer was removed from the home by child protective services.

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• 0:04 Introduction
• 0:50 Fifth Grade: 1973
• 1:53 First Grade: Bad Boy
• 2:46 Second & Third Grades
• 4:20 Fourth & Fifth Grades
• 5:46 Lesson Summary

The first chapter of A Child Called It begins with David Pelzer, at age twelve, being beaten by his mother, Catherine Pelzer, before school. When he arrives at school, the nurse calls him in and documents his injuries, a routine that David has grown accustomed to. Soon after he goes to class, he is called into the principal's office, meeting with a police officer. David does not understand that the police officer is there to deliver him to a foster home. Instead, he thinks he is going to a juvenile detention center. When the officer explains that his mother will not hurt him anymore, David cries with relief.

Chapter 2 begins with a flashback to David as a very young child. His home life is idyllic. He spends his days playing with his two older brothers and enjoying home-cooked meals. Catherine is a nurturing and loving caregiver, and his father, Stephen, is a strapping, handsome man. Beautiful Christmas celebrations and exciting camping trips populate David's early memories.

However, as David grew older, Catherine's behavior began to change. She began drinking more and spending entire days watching television. Catherine also began to punish David more severely. When he acted up, she had him press his face to the mirror and repeat, "I'm a bad boy" over and over. Soon, his mother began hitting him. One day, Catherine dislocated David's shoulder in a drunken rage. She pretended that nothing had happened and put him to sleep in the top bunk where his brother usually slept. In the morning, she told him that he had fallen out of bed and hurt his arm. Catherine repeated the story at the hospital and again to Stephen. The school was a haven for David, but when his mother discovered that he would have to repeat first grade, she beat him for shaming the family.

When David's mother took on the role of the den mother for his Boy Scout troop, she treated him kindly in front of the other boys, but she quickly gave up the position. A few days following, Catherine told David that he could not go to his Boy Scout meeting with his brothers; with his brothers out of the house, Catherine held David's arm against the open flame on the gas stove. She then tried to force him to lie down on the stove. David realized that he would be safe if he could avoid lying on the stove until his brothers returned and fought Catherine off long enough to escape the torture. The harrowing event left David with an enormous sense of triumph. He described his triumph, saying, " I realized that I had beaten her ... I used my head to survive. For the first time, I had won. "

Catherine started starving David regularly. He was rarely allowed any dinner and was only permitted to eat his brother's scraps for breakfast. He started stealing food from other children's lunchboxes, but he was soon caught, leading to worse beatings and less food. His mother began referring to him as "the boy" and stopped treating him like a member of the family. Soon after, David was relegated to the basement anytime he was not doing chores. His parents began fighting more. His father disapproved of how his mother treated him, but he did nothing to prevent it. Instead, Stephen sought to escape with alcohol.

Catherine gave birth to a fourth son when David was in second grade. Worried, David's teacher, Miss Moss, reported his mother to the principal because he was often covered in bruises and dressed in rags. However, during the meeting with the principal, Catherine convinced him that she was a good parent and that David was a liar. That summer, the family went on vacation. Catherine refused to let him go with his father and older brothers on an outing. Instead, she shoved his face into the baby's soiled diaper and told him to eat the feces. They were interrupted by his father and brothers' return, but the event humiliated David.

When he started third grade, David was no longer allowed to ride in the car to school. His clothes were rags, and he was given almost no food other than lunch; he began stealing food from the grocery store. When his mother found out, she beat him mercilessly. David stole frozen lunches from the cafeteria and ate them in the bathroom a few days later. When he got home, his mother forced him to vomit. She showed his father that he had stolen food and then forced him to eat his vomit. His father watched but did nothing. For weeks after the incident, David was forced to sleep on the floor under the kitchen table. Catherine forced David to drink spoonfuls of ammonia, bleach, and dishwashing liquid throughout this time whenever she felt that he needed a special punishment. At times she forced him to defecate in a bucket in the basement.

When David was 11 years old, his mother stabbed him in the chest with a kitchen knife. Even as an adult, David believes it was an accident, but Catherine refuses to get him medical treatment. After she wrapped his wound, she made him wash the dishes. Again his father saw what happened but did nothing. When the wound became infected, Pelzer expressed the pus from it and cleaned it as well as he could; he felt proud for taking care of his injury.

Stephen spent more and more time away from home. While he was away, Catherine came up with a new form of torture for David. She locked him in the bathroom with a bucket of bleach mixed with ammonia to create a gas chamber. David felt like he was suffocating and often passed out. Additionally, Catherine starved David for ten days during a school break. When he returned to school, she had him vomit every day when he got home to make sure he was not stealing food. She also started having him take ice-cold baths and sit outside in cold, wet clothes while the family ate dinner. A substitute teacher took an interest in David. She became worried about his home life and reported her concerns to the school nurse.

Catherine gave birth to her fifth and final son, and David had a wonderful time at home while she was recovering in the hospital. Shortly after she returned, she began treating David very kindly. She gave him new clothes and let him eat dinner with the family. After two days, a social worker from child protective services came to the house, and David realized why Catherine had treated him so well.

By the time he was in fifth grade, David felt extremely depressed. He lost his faith in God and wished that his mother would die. He also started to hate his father for watching his mother abuse him. Feeling hopeless, David began acting up in school. Classmates mocked and bullied him. His father left his mother, and David realized that his mother would kill him without his father as a buffer between them.

In the epilogue of A Child Called It , Mother is a distant memory. Pelzer is an adult and is happy and settled in his life. He has a son of his own, whom he loves deeply. The two share a bond that Pelzer treasures.

A Child Called It both exposes the horrors of child abuse and shows the power of Pelzer's resilience. Interestingly, Pelzer does not pose or answer questions about why his family was so dysfunctional. He does not explain the root causes of his mother's violent behavior or why his father felt so powerless against his mother. However, Pelzer does explain that both of his parents were alcoholics and used alcohol to escape their problems.

While A Child Called It is only a short summary of Pelzer's torture, it serves as a story of survival. Against all odds, Pelzer remained committed to staying alive. Once his teachers, school nurse, and principal stepped in, he was given a second chance at life, and he took it.

Though much of A Child Called It focuses on how Catherine Pelzer tortured David, the book is really about how the abuse impacted David. The following are A Child Called It quotes that show how David felt:

• David's pride in stealing the frozen cafeteria food shows his will to survive. Instead of giving up hope or feeling sad that he had to steal, he feels proud.
• When his mother fooled the principal into believing that she was a good parent, David started to feel there was no hope for a better future.
• When the police officer tells David that he will not return to his mother's house, David can barely believe it. After years of barely surviving, he will finally be free.

David Pelzer 's memoir, A Child Called It , is a book that recounts the abuse he suffered as a boy. His alcoholic mother, Catherine Pelzer, began abusing him when he was in first grade; David was starved, beaten, tortured, and treated like an animal throughout his young childhood. His father, Stephen, sat as an onlooker, did nothing to protect him, and drowned his sorrows in alcohol. It is not until David is in fifth grade that child protective services take him from his mother's care.

Despite suffering years of unimaginable abuse, Pelzer made a successful life for himself. He enlisted in the U.S. Air Force, married, and has a son. A Child Called It was immensely popular when published in 1995 and continues to sell well today. A few critics feel that the book is not well-written, and some question the truth of some aspects of the story. Regardless, Pelzer's book has inspired many abuse survivors, and it has helped spread awareness about child abuse.

Video Transcript

Introduction.

David Pelzer wrote A Child Called It in seven chapters. Right away, in the first chapter, he lets us know that he is rescued from his mother's brutality. As a reader, this is almost reassuring because we know David is eventually saved from the torment his mother puts him through year after year. Knowing this helps us get through the remainder of the memoir , which is a non-fiction piece of writing based on the author's memories. The subsequent chapters give us a brief glimpse of normalcy for David but by the third chapter, we start seeing why David thinks he is a bad boy from first grade all the way through fifth grade of grammar school. Each year, the physical and mental abuse worsens, making this autobiography difficult to digest at times.

Fifth Grade: 1973

A Child Called It starts in David's home located in Daly City, California. We are immediately introduced to the daily abuse David suffers when he is reprimanded for taking too long to wash the dishes, eats leftover cereal from his family, and heads to school with programmed lies about his bruises. David is sent to the school nurse who examines his wounds, including a scar on his abdomen from a stab wound.

The principal escorts David from the nurse's office to greet police officers. David automatically thinks he's in trouble and headed to jail because he has been conditioned to believe he is a bad boy. The officers take David to the police station, where Social Services intervene to take him out of the care of his mother, Catherine.

David's father is a fireman, and his mother, Catherine, stays home to take care of the children. He has two brothers, and they all get along (as much as siblings typically do). This time in David's life is full of ''normal'' memories a boy may have about wonderful moments together with his family.

First Grade: Bad Boy

When he is in first grade, David's mother starts to struggle with depression and turns to alcohol to cope. She takes her sadness out on David when he misbehaves like most children his age might. Catherine subjects David to extreme bouts of physical and emotional abuse, but only when his father is not around. A serious arm injury brings David to the hospital. The family lies and says he fell off of a bunk bed. Even though David is held back in first grade, he likes going to school because it's the only thing that protects him from his mother's rage.

This chapter paints a difficult image for the reader when young David is forced to stand naked by the stove with his hand over the burner as punishment. Catherine wants David to burn his skin, but he refuses and then flees to the garage. This escape gives David a sense of empowerment because he feels like he won.

Second & Third Grades

When David is in second and third grades, Catherine begins to use food as a weapon more and more. She starves David at home. Consequently, this leads David to steal food from school. David is now known as ''Boy'' at home, not worthy of a name. David's second-grade teacher reports the signs of physical abuse and neglected condition. One would think this would help David but instead, it results in Catherine giving him a bloody nose and knocking out a tooth after the investigation is completed.

Since David is still suffering from starvation at home, he resorts to stealing food from a local store, but he gets caught. As a punishment, Catherine makes David throw up the stolen food into a bowl and eat it again. David is sent to sleep on a newspaper in the kitchen, and then he is banished to the garage to sleep on a cot. This chapter ends with David being forced to consume a spoonful of ammonia, which stops David from breathing until his mother smacks his back.

Remember the scar on David's abdomen that was mentioned in the first chapter? It turns out Catherine threatened him with a knife in her hand, lost her balance, and the knife landed on David. She doesn't take him to the hospital, and his father does nothing to protect him. It's at this moment that David loses all respect for his father. Shortly after the incident, Catherine forces David to stand at the kitchen sink and wash the dishes. Because the wound is not treated properly, David comes down with a fever and an infection. He cleans the wound by himself to keep the infection from worsening.

Fourth & Fifth Grades

David's father is around less and less by the time David is in the fourth and fifth grades. At one point this year, Catherine starves David for a total of ten days. In addition to the starvation, she locks him in the bathroom with open containers of ammonia and Clorox. The adverse reaction causes him to struggle for breath and cough up blood. During this time period, Catherine has another son and Social Services visits their home. David admits to the caseworker that he is abused.

The last chapter of this novel brings us to the peak of David's abuse right before being rescued by Child Services. At this point in his life, his parents have separated, and he is literally exhausted and starved. David resorts to eating scraps of food whenever he can get them, and he hates everyone. At one point, school was his safe zone, but now he has become a victim of bullying as if the torment at home wasn't enough. Thankfully, his teachers are kind to him and give him positive attention when he earns it. Catherine doesn't openly accept praise about David. In fact, she ignores it and doesn't give him the recognition he deserves. David is so desperate to be put out of his misery that he wishes his mom would kill him.

Even though this novel is difficult to read and digest at times, we know that there is a light at the end of David's tunnel. As an adult, David joins the US Air Force, gets married, and has a son of his own.

In A Child Called It , David Pelzer tells us his tale of torment and abuse throughout his younger years. The book is a memoir , an autobiographical story based on the author's memories. The abuse began in the first grade. His mother, Catherine, is responsible for the unprovoked and unimaginable abuse that takes place. Although David's father doesn't physically abuse him, he enables the abuse for all those years without intervening. We witness the atrocity of Catherine's behavior towards her son, and just when we think the abuse couldn't get any worse, it does. David is beaten, starved to the point of having to steal food from school and stores just to survive, and stabbed. Thankfully, David is rescued from his own death wish when school officials and Child Services step in during fifth grade. David's life greatly improves after this, and he goes on to join the United States Air Force, marry, and have a son of his own.

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A Child Called It

58 pages • 1 hour read

A Child Called It: One Child’s Courage to Survive

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-3

Chapters 4-6

Chapter 7-Perspectives on Child Abuse

Key Figures

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Discussion Questions

Why do you think Pelzer begins the book with his rescue?

How does Chapter 2 contextualize the Pelzer family’s life? Did it affect the way you perceived the main characters moving forward? Why or why not?

Analyze the role that Stephen Joseph plays in his son Dave’s abuse.

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Reaction Paper of the Book “A Child Called It” Report

• To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
• As a source of information (ensure proper referencing)
• As a template for you assignment

The book, A Child called “It”, was written by David Pelzer and was published in 1995. David writes about the horrible incidents of his childhood days, explaining the kind of torture he experiences by his mother. He describes the transition of his once happy family of mother, father and brothers into a prison like place. He narrates about how he accustoms to and struggles with painful situations at such a tender age and how he emerges as a successful person in this process. The story is praiseworthy in many ways, for it shows David’s ability to put forth a real life in a brilliant manner, attracting total involvement of its readers.

Coming to details, David starts the first chapter with the happy ending of many brutalities that David suffers in the following chapters (as cited in Lahey, 2003, p. 8). In general, this kind of writing may take away the excitement of the reader, as the first chapter itself tells the conclusion of the story. However, it is remarkable that David’s presentation of each chapter from the first one makes the reader feel like as if he is closely observing the real life of a child. In place of routine enthusiasm, it creates seriousness and involvement in the story, and raises reader’s concern for the suffering child.

As it is about David’s real life experience, there is apparently no scope for creativity. However, the chapter wise construction of the story, taking care to distinguish various phases of his life in the story with cautious usage of words and formats, is excellent. It shows the writer’s control on the language and narration. To be precise, the change of his mother’s attitude from loving and caring to cruel is explained through his change of calling her from ‘Mom’ to ‘Mother’, stressing the words with capitals (as cited in Lahey, 2003, p. 9). Likewise, his position in the family changing from a ‘son’, ‘the boy’ and finally to ‘it’ not only indicates the severity of torture faced by David, but also the writer’s expertise in explaining it (as cited in Lahey, 2003, p. 10, 12). In short, timing of words and phrases is well maintained.

Nonetheless, David is a happy kid in the beginning, with love and affection from mother and other family members (as cited in Lahey, 2003, p. 9). Slowly, the scene turns unbearable for David, being targeted by his mother for all bad reasons. However, as David starts realizing things and struggles to get out of them, he becomes more determined to survive. With the gradual loss of family’s support, especially father’s, David grows up as self-relying. At times, he becomes innovative to escape his mother’s ill treatment (as cited in Lahey, 2003, p. 12-3). The courage with which the boy faces situations and consequent happy ending for his terrible phase show that no matter what kind of trouble we are in, a strong will to fight with odds makes us find happy days again.

Except alcoholism, the writer does not mention specific reasons for the unexpected and violent change in his mother’s attitude. Also, his father is shown to deteriorate from a great admirable person to a hopeless man. It somehow highlights the adverse effects of liquor addiction, which in this case have led to total demolition of a lovely family. Selective mentioning of severe experiences seems advantageous in correctly conveying the writer’s perspective. Like, she treats her own son like a war prisoner (as cited in Lahey, 2003, p. 11). Her outrageous treatment of David intensifies with her orders for David to do acts like consuming his brother’s soiled diaper (as cited in Lahey, 2003, p. 10).

All in all, it is heartening that the story actually happened in David’s life. Anyway, his story seems to be laudable in at least two ways. He seems to be impeccable in detailing the horrible events from his childhood experiences as if they are occurring in front of us. At the same time, he successfully conveys the message that determination and courage can make us survive and succeed in life. The appearance of David as happy grown up man with one kid raises confidence in life for readers.

• Lahey, L (2003). Monkey Notes Study Guide: A Child Called “It” by David Pelzer, 1995.
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IvyPanda. (2021, September 10). Reaction Paper of the Book “A Child Called It”. https://ivypanda.com/essays/reaction-paper-of-the-book-a-child-called-it/

"Reaction Paper of the Book “A Child Called It”." IvyPanda , 10 Sept. 2021, ivypanda.com/essays/reaction-paper-of-the-book-a-child-called-it/.

IvyPanda . (2021) 'Reaction Paper of the Book “A Child Called It”'. 10 September.

IvyPanda . 2021. "Reaction Paper of the Book “A Child Called It”." September 10, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/reaction-paper-of-the-book-a-child-called-it/.

1. IvyPanda . "Reaction Paper of the Book “A Child Called It”." September 10, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/reaction-paper-of-the-book-a-child-called-it/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "Reaction Paper of the Book “A Child Called It”." September 10, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/reaction-paper-of-the-book-a-child-called-it/.

A Child Called “It” by Dave Pelzer

Book summary, feelings aroused by the reading: identifying with the situation, relating the reading to the course content, evaluation and expanding the situation.

The book A Child Called “It” is a memoir written by Dave Pelzer. In the work, the author describes the pains and abuses he experienced in the hands of his mother (Pelzer, 1995). Throughout his early childhood, Pelzer’s mother was charming and friendly. She treated every person in the family nicely including Pelzer. Unfortunately, things changed abruptly when she started to torture and abuse him. His mother played unpredictable and inhumane games that left him torn and incapable of realizing his academic goals. This discussion will give a detailed summary and critical analysis of the memoir.

The text chronicles the extraordinary experience of Pelzer who was punished by his mother. According to the book, the victim was treated with love and warmth at the very beginning. It is notable that her mother had portrayed specific manic behaviors that could not be recognized by a child of his age. Things changed when she started to punish him perpetually. She became addicted to alcohol and began playing injurious tricks on Pelzer. The young boy was forced to devise new methods of dealing with his mother (Pelzer, 1995). He realized and acknowledged that he was nothing but a slave in the family.

The book shows that Dave slept in the garage. He was forced to wear torn or dirty school uniform. His mother provided spoiled or unhealthy foods to him. Despite all these struggles and pains, the outside world was unaware of what was going on in Pelzer’s life (Pelzer, 1995). The other family members appeared to support the abuse. However, he kept his hopes alive throughout the period. He later finds refuge in a foster care center. It was from this setting that he managed to remodel his life.

The events described in this book are horrific and unimaginable. What makes the story sympathetic is that the victim suffers in the hands of people who should provide adequate support to him. It would be painful for a child to be abused by his or her own mother (Pelzer, 1995). As I was reading the book, I found it extremely hard to imagine the kind of torture or suffering experienced by the child. It is clear that the victim started to face such challenges at such a tender age.

The fact that Pelzer’s mother changed from a caring and friendly mother to a monster is quite alarming. The alcoholic mother used dirty tricks to punish him for no apparent reason. It is hard to believe that the other members of the family were unable to intervene and help the child (Pelzer, 1995). The victim became inattentive in class and incapable of achieving his educational objectives. The memoir is, therefore, emotional since it captures the sufferings experienced by a young boy who could not fight back.

The feelings aroused by the book have compelled me to think of various situations whereby I was abused as a child. Personally, my parents used to punish me after committing certain offenses or mistakes. However, it is worth pointing out that such punishments were experiences by every child in the family (Vujovic, 2017). This understanding is what compels me to think deeply about the pains inflicted on Pelzer as a young boy.

Parents should be loving and caring. However, alcoholism and drug use in families tend to catalyze various forms of abuse or mistreatment. It is agreeable that Pelzer’s mother was suffering from alcoholism (Vujovic, 2017). This is a serious disorder that can be used to explain why she became extremely abusive. The story of Pelzer also echoes the experiences of many people who have grown up in families characterized by abusive parents.

The issues revealed in this book appear to elaborate the theories and concepts studied in class. For instance, the class materials have examined how child abuse is one of the risk factors for engaging in a wide range of delinquent behaviors (Vujovic, 2017). The experiences and pains encountered by Pelzer can result in delinquent behaviors. The information obtained from this memoir can be analyzed critically in an attempt to understand the issues associated with juvenile delinquency.

Different theories and concepts involved with childhood delinquency acknowledge that young people who receive inadequate support might have significant challenges as adults. The provision of care can ensure individuals who are abused at a young age realize their potential. It is evident that Pelzer benefited from the interventions implemented after it was observed that she was living in an abusive family (Pelzer, 1995). This process shows conclusively that children should be guided and encouraged to pursue their objectives without any form of mistreatment.

Communities should use powerful initiatives to identify children who might be facing similar challenges. Every affected child must be provided with adequate help become he or she becomes an adult. This kind of support will ensure the child recovers from their past experiences (Pelzer, 1995). Failure to offer this kind of help will ensure the victims have increased chances of becoming deviant. This analysis is a clear indication that the issues, support systems, and challenges described in the memoir can be used to expound the concepts studied in class.

Pelzer’s experiences and abuses are unimaginable and hard to come into terms with. These horrific happenings disoriented his life and potential as a schooling child. This kind of torture appears to reveal most of the pains encountered by many children in different abusive families. What comes out clearly from the book is that most of the affected children suffer in silence. This happens to be the case because many obnoxious relatives and parents use various strategies to threaten their victims (Vujovic, 2017). This situation should empower more people to come up with better initiatives to identify individuals who might be living in abusive families. The next step should be to support the affected children in order to realize their goals. The initiative will make it easier for more children to become responsible adults who do not engage in criminal behaviors.

The story of Dave Pelzer should be considered in an attempt to expand this situation. The memoir raises unanswered questions that can be utilized by researchers to ensure appropriate support is available to more people. For instance, the story can be used by interventionists to develop specific models that can be used to spot children who are living in violent settings (Vujovic, 2017). This knowledge can be used to guide different community members to monitor and report any form of child abuse. Individuals who receive the right care will be in a position to pursue their aims. Consequently, every society will be empowered to tackle the predicament of juvenile delinquency.

Pelzer, D. (1995). A child called “it”. Omaha, NE: Omaha Press.

Vujovic, T. (2017). Child abuse by parents and its influence on the development of juvenile delinquency. Education Sciences & Society, 8 (1), 89-102. Web.

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A Child Called "It"

Life lessons in "a child called it" and "the lost boy" anonymous 9th grade.

Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “Faith is taking the first step with courage even when you don't see the whole staircase.” In the nonfiction novels “A Child Called It” and “The Lost Boy” by Dave Pelzer, Dave survives through hard times with courage and faith. Dave’s mother used to be the best mother he could ask for until she became an alcoholic. Since then she has become very abusive both physically and verbally, hurting Dave in many ways. In the first book, “A Child Called It,” Dave has to have a lot of hope and courage to survive. Then after doing so he must learn to be able to fit in to a normal household when he gets taken into foster care in the second book. This will require him to have faith in himself and others. In the end he emerges victorious. Therefore, the lesson that Dave teaches us is that courage, hope, and faith can help you get through the hardest times in life.

One instance in which Dave illustrates the importance of courage and hope is when he decides to start fighting back against his mother. After his mother beats him one day, Dave has had enough and builds up the courage to survive and fight back against his mom. He states, “That day I vowed to myself that I would never, ever again give that bitch the...

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A Child Called It

Essay by 24   •  November 17, 2010  •  361 Words (2 Pages)  •  1,938 Views

Essay Preview: A Child Called It

Author Dave Pelzer

Publisher Health Communications Inc.

3201 S.W 15th Street

Deerfield Beach, Florida 33442-8190

Main Characters "IT" "Mother"

Where the story takes place?

In Daly City California.

When dose the story take Place?

March 5,1973.

Character study

Name Dave "IT"

Dave is an abused child his mother disciplines him by not feeding him dinner and no breakfast. His mother is a crazy lady. In the book she beats him and has stabbed him in the stomach. He goes to school with burses and the nurse has to check him every day and for new marks on his body.

Vocabulary:

Pg 86 Fazed

Book Sent.: Even Russell wasn't fazed by her threat.

Def.: disconcert, disorientate.

Own Sent.: I was fazed by my grade on the test.

Pg 87 Consciousness

Book Sent.: As I regained conscious, I felt a warm sensation flowing from my chest.

Def.: Awake and aware of ones surrounding and identity.

Owe Sent.: I was consciousness when my mom got home and the house was not cleaned.

Pg 88 Charade

Book Sent.: This whole charade of living like a slave had come to an end.