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.