A Child Called It - Dave Pelzer

Dave Pelzer's A Child Called It is the story of one child's abuse by a mentally unstable, alcoholic mother and his internal struggle to survive through it all. The vivid descriptions of horrific child abuses being written so nonchalantly is haunting and the matter-of-fact tone illustrates just how normal this was for the author. Drinking ammonia, being burned on the stove, week long starvation "punishments" were what Pelzer's mother believed he deserved, something he never quite accepted. It is because of his strength that he survived, without the help of any other family members who saw the abuse and said nothing.

I was fortunate to have a terrific, kind mother and because of that, I cannot imagine how the instinct to nurture (which most mothers seem to have) is completely replaced with a need to punish and humiliate their child. I had a lot of trouble digesting that this woman was that terrible and went to such extremes in abusing her child, though I know that with people anything is possible. This is a book that has been controversial partly because one brother claimed it was lie while another brother has also written a book confirming that their mother was abusive but stating it did not get anywhere near the level described in the book, but it is still a powerful story that tells a truth for many that are too afraid to tell themselves.

A Wish After Midnight (Zetta Elliott)

Zetta Elliott's A Wish After Midnight tells the tale of a young African American girl in modern day Brooklyn who is transported to 1863 Brooklyn. Genna, the protagonist, is a young girl living with her mother and siblings in a small apartment in a bad neighborhood. She is determined to better her circumstances and spends her time studying so that she can go to college to be a psychologist. Genna also spends her time at a local botanical garden, the home of the fountain she fills with pennies and wishes. Her wish for a different life comes true, though not in the way she expected. When she awakens in 1863, she has been transported into a very different and difficult life which she handles with grace and wisdom beyond her 15 years. Eventually, she finds her way to the boy she loved in 2000 (while still living in 1863 as he came back too) and finally, back home to her own time with a new understanding of the herself.

This book is particularly interesting because it shows the struggles and dangers of life for a young African-American girl during the Civil War but also today in Brooklyn and although both are very different circumstances, there is still a considerable overlap in racial segregation, gender role struggles, and an economic class system that determines quite a bit of life's path for a person.

Go Ask Alice (Anonymous)

Go Ask Alice, though originally attributed to Anonymous, was later revealed to be the work of Beatrice Sparks, a psychologist who originally claimed the piece was taken from the diary of one of her patients. While the story told is a compelling tale of a young girl who delves into drug use headfirst and doesn't quite make it to the other side (the epilogue tells us she committed suicide not long after her last entry), it does not read like the diary of a teenage girl. Logistics of the story aside (how would this girl ever remember where she put her journal if she is frequently running away? how does a 15 year old open a store?), it is a gripping tale because the reader eventually just wants to know what she will do next. There are vivid accounts of drug use and the aftermath of the lifestyle of a drug addict, the story serving as a warning while at the same time glamorizing drug use in the way that an addict might. She constantly moves between loving her addiction and craving a life in the opposite direction and when she is not on drugs, she is adamant that they are evil and ruin your life…until she goes back on drugs and praises how it makes life much more bearable. 

Go Ask Alice has long been considered a classic, though the presentation of it as a non-fiction work when it is very likely not troubles me. I recall reading this as a teenager, though it did not strike me then as much as it does now how unlikely the story is and if it had, I don't know if I would have found it so powerful.