The Wandering Children: A Child Called It Book Review

The book "A Child Called It," written by Dave Pelzer, was very sad, yet eye opening. It is not based on the true story of a boy who was horribly abused by his own mother, but it was a true story written by that boy. As a very young child, Dave Pelzer was accepted and loved by his mother. As he grew older, however, and stress mixed with alcohol changed his mother, he lost his "privilege" to be a part of the family. Not only did his mother make it very clear that she wanted "The Boy" gone, but she also made it obvious that she did not consider him a human. This book was really Pelzer's story of his experiences with child abuse and his struggles to survive when his own mother wanted him dead.
The main message or moral that I got from this book was about the struggles that someone can go through and still survive. I also saw adjustment to our circumstances and hope as being two other main themes within this book. Pelzer demonstrated this, obviously, by telling his own story. In a way, I believe this book was sending a message that child abuse is not as regulated as it should be, as he went to school almost daily for a number of years, wearing the same clothes. He also went to school with bruises and wounds, and yet it took the school all of those years to report anything, even while they were keeping an eye out on him. For me, that demonstrates either the lack of public knowledge on this subject or the lack of people that know when or how to report it, including teachers.
This book definitely was upsetting to me, as I'm sure there are many cases of child abuse such as this one going on in America right now. Even more, there are many children that suffered this and survived, but there are also too many that were killed because of it. This book really opened my eyes to just how cruel people can get under the right circumstances and really made me feel that no matter what, no one has a right to treat anyone in this manner, let alone a child. "A Child Called It" fired me up about America's growing issue of child abuse and really helped me see that there are "family secrets," as Pelzer referred to them in his book. However, it also inspired me and made me feel that there are children that survive these extreme conditions. It made me see how confusing child abuse really can be for children, and made me wonder how greatly we might be able to reduce this problem if we informed the adults that can make the most difference in children's lives, such as teachers.
This book takes the reader on a journey through the struggles and confusion of a child who was abused in every way except for sexually. Dave Pelzer shows the reader not only how physically, but also how psychologically painful abuse really can be. While most children are making the goals of getting good grades, having good friends, and pleasing their parents, children that are in similar circumstances to that of Pelzer's was have a primary goal of surviving, which is something many of us take for granted. Pelzer also demonstrates how difficult it may be for a child in such circumstances to fit in and how difficult it was be an outcast. Really, he lived the majority of his childhood without love, which is a critical component in everyone's lives.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and recommend it for anyone who is interested in a story that will not only inform them on the truth and hidden secrets people hold, but that will also teach them a little about hope. It would be of value for anyone to read that is either uninformed about child abuse or for anyone that is interested in the subject.