A Child Called | Teen Ink

A Child Called

May 17, 2019
By Isabella1519 BRONZE, Paramount, California
Isabella1519 BRONZE, Paramount, California
1 article 0 photos 0 comments

The work of literature I would choose to be the living version of is an autobiography by Dave Pelzer called “A child called ‘it’”.  I have chosen this book out of all the books I have read because it’s a real event that has happened, it’s not made up it actually occurred. “A child called ‘it’”, tells the story of what Dave Pelzer went through as a child, child abuse, known as one of the most severe cases of in California. His mother loved him at first and treated him as part of the family, but later he turned into the slave of the family no longer part of it but just an “it”. She never called him by his name again he was just “it”. While his brothers played all day, ate all the food they wanted, had the nicest clothes on, and got to sleep in actual beds, Dave got to clean all day, while at the same time having to play his mother's torturous games. Dave had to play his mothers games to get the leftover food his brothers left on their, what she called his reward. The food that she would give him sometimes not even the dogs would eat. His clothes had holes in them, so did his pants, and his shoes crushed his toes and feet. Having to work all day to do what his mother called chores ended with him tired, beaten, and hungry, and sleeping in a old cot in the basement where it was freezing.

The gruesome life that Dave Pelzer went through as a child was something no kid would want to go through, and most wouldn’t survive in his place. His mother nearly killing him with all the beatings and torture games. Dave Pelzer survived through all of it, he kept fighting and won not giving into defeat. From reading “A child called ‘it’”, and seeing how much Dave suffered as a kid and still surviving at the end of it showed me that no matter how much pain a person can go through whether young or old, they can get through it if they just keep fighting. “Mother can beat me all she wants, but I haven’t let her take away my will to somehow survive”, after all the beatings, being stabbed by her, and times where he was left starving for days he was still determined to live at the end of all of it. “Mother would simply grab me and smash my face against the mirror, smearing my tear-streaked face on the slick, reflective glass… she would order me to say over and over again ‘I’m a bad boy! I’m a bad boy! …”, even through all of the physical abuse he went through he also suffered emotional abuse. It still didn’t stop him from fighting and still saying “I told myself no matter what she did I would not let the b**** take me down”.

This is a important book that all people should read because it can show people how even the people who you think are weak, such as children, in reality can be stronger than anyone could ever imagine. It shows how no matter your age if you just keep fighting you can get through a difficult time. 


The author's comments:

This piece was for a school assignment I had to do. The main idea of the assignment was to pick a piece of literature that I would love to become a living version of and what important lesson I think all people can learn from this book.


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