From his body covered in bruises, to having to stand in front of a mirror and repeat the words, “I am a bad boy,” over and over again, Dave Pelzer spends his years being “punished” for everything he does. His mother, Catherine, hurts him both physically and emotionally until the point of breaking. Dave’s mother is a cruel woman who did not deserve to be the mother of three beautiful children. Pelzer wakes up every morning with the hope of his mother acting like he doesn’t exist. As long as she stays in bed and doesn’t pay him any attention, he knows he’ll be able to make it through the day without getting physically abused. Overcoming the problems Dave faced growing up, helped influence and inspire him to write.

A Child Called It is the story of a vulnerable, little boy that goes through years of mental and physical abuse from his mother. After the rescue of his first foster parents, his life began to change drastically. The story of David Pelzer is phenomenal. What he had to face in his younger years of life was horrible. No child should ever have to go through the things he went through. Pelzer was and still is a strong person. To have to look back on your life like he did and write about his childhood, when he was almost beaten to death several times, has to be hard. This book really makes you wonder how many other kids are out there, that have to face the same problems Dave had to as a child.

When Dave was 12 years old, his teachers finally stepped in and took control of the situation and did something about it. CPS then took him away from his family and placed him into foster care. From then on, Dave went through five different foster homes until he turned 18. They have helped him to forget the tragedies he had to face as a child. Even though Dave went through extreme beatings growing up, he never lets it get to his parenting. Marsha and his son, Stephen, are the two most important people in his life. He has allowed all of that to teach him to be the parent he never had and to be the best that he can be in order to provide for his family. A Child Called It is an extraordinary inspirational story that has touched many lives. Dave has inspired many to overcome the problems life throws at us, and to keep pursuing our dreams until the end.

“Your experiences- the good, the bad, and the ugly are what make you, YOU. No person is without conflict- but it is how you deal with those conflicts that determine who you are,” Dave Pelzer said.