A Child Called “It” gave me the chills. Upon opening the book, I couldn’t put it down. I find it horrifying that any child has to go through pain like David Pelzer’s. Reading this book made me realize how grateful I am for my childhood. I thought I was struggling when my parents got mad at me for a bad grade in school. I came to the realization that what I thought was hard was nothing when compared to what this child had to go through. David’s mother beat him, starved him, stabbed him, and even tried to gradually kill him by poisoning him. He fed himself with scraps from the garbage bin. He was forced to drink his vomit and ammonia. He was dedicated to keeping himself alive in hopes of somebody that would love him. David is truly a warrior who fought for his life. Therefore, he should be recognized for that.
~Gavin ( )

He totally made this up. ( )

These books are fascinating and heartbreaking all at once. I read the first last night, and the second today in less than 2 hours. What I feel left with is not only amazement that this child survived and managed to grow up to be a contributing member of society, but amazement in the differences between the system then and now.

When you read what was done to this boy, you won't be able to believe that his mother was 1) not punished in the slightest bit, 2) allowed contact with David after he was removed from her care and 3) able to keep her other children without a smidgen of oversight.

Anyway, I highly recommend these books, but be prepared to be horrified. ( )

An eye-opening book to the reality of horrendous childhood abuse at the hinds of an obviously deranged mother. The author depicts the survival techniques of a young child and the amazing ability of the human spirit to survive circumstances that are beyond imagining. ( )

A Child Called "It"
While reading this book I had a hard time not throwing it against a wall or out of a window. All of this reaction, not because I didn't like it, but because, I was absolutely appalled by what this man's mother did to him as a child. I read this as someone who suffered abuse when younger, thinking that I would be able to relate. I am now ever so much more grateful that my abuser was stopped when I was still very young. This was one of the most heartwrenching and troublesome books I have ever read, but I would recommend it to everyone. I am looking forward to reading the other books that Pelzer has written, I am anxious to see the journey that turned him into the man he is today.

The Lost Boy

I read this immediately after [A Child Called "It"] and found it almost as sad. I am so glad that David Pelzer shows the positive side of the foster care system and lets everyone know just how important that institution is. Even after David escaped the physical abuse his mother exacts on him in the first book, he has to undergo continuing mental abuse from her. She goes so far as to try and get him institutionalized for the rest of his life in an insane asylum. With everything she does to this poor child I got so mad that she wasn't somehow punished that I wanted to scream. Overall I think this is by far the best set of books that I have ever read. The series David Pelzer wrote is truly life altering for, what I guess is, very many people.