A Child Called “It”: One Child’s Courage to Survive by Dave Pelzer
1995
Weight: 3.2 oz
Method of Disposal: Donating
I think I am going to kind of skip out on this one. I have wanted to get rid of it, but I have not because I cannot figure out exactly what to say about it. I know there is some controversy about the validity of it, and I have no desire to get into all that. I do not want to claim to know what abuse someone did or did not endure. I have no desire to deny someone their past and their pain. I also do not care for the arguments against his profiting off abuse. Who are we to judge if someone makes money from something horrific they endured? I will tell you now that I have always felt that it was unfair that I had to pay out so much money to the emergency room and for therapy after I was raped, and that my rapist never had to pay a dime for anything. If I could put that experience out there in a way that would help other people and not hurt others, while also making money, you bet I would. Why not get something beneficial out of a truly horrific experience?
I can say that it was an appalling read, as it details some pretty extreme stuff. I did not read any of the books that followed it in the series. The Lost Boy, A Man Named Dave, The Privilege of Youth. By avoiding these I might have missed out on the inspirational component. I have heard that it was groundbreaking in the way that it was a firsthand account of abuse when there were not many of those. I do not know anything about that.
Anyway, this book is going in a box and is being taken away by the AKF tomorrow. If you want it you better let me know fast.
