A Child Called 'It' cover art

A Child Called 'It'

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A Child Called 'It'

By: David Pelzer
Narrated by: Brian Keeler
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About this listen

Dave Pelzer was brutally abused as a child by his emotionally unstable, alcoholic mother. She considered him a slave - no longer a boy, but an "it".

He was physically and mentally tortured and starved. The outside world knew nothing of the nightmare he experienced behind closed doors, and his father was aware of the abuse but turned to denial and alcohol. The abuse only fueled a determination to survive and become stronger.

He eventually found amazing strength from his experiences: both in himself and other people.

Listen to the second book in David Pelzer's harrowing, multi-part memoir of child abuse: The Lost Boy.©1995 David Pelzer (P)2001 Recorded Books
Abuse Dysfunctional Families Dysfunctional Relationships Parenting & Families Relationships Child Development

Critic Reviews

"Pelzer's portrayal of domestic tyranny and eventual escape is unforgettable." ( School Library Journal)
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What a devastating story yet also an inspiration from a man who managed to capture his tortured life into words and continue to live and grow with his own family.

Truly Shocking

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Heartbreaking story of Davids’s childhood and cruelty of one mother towards her own son! Amazing how David survived those horrors and will power to live and not give up! Beautiful narrated by Brian Keeler this is a must listen book for us all because every one of us can help rather than turn a blind eye! I was a survivor of my own child and later husband abuse but it would’ve been a big help if I knew that help was out there! I read critics review and some people suggest that it was not as bad as David made it out- it is totally untrue- No body can invent or make up such a story, you have to live through it! Well done David for being a person you are today!

Heartbreaking and amazing

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What a strong Spirit, what an incredible and horrible experience.
Thank you for using this to create change in our world x

wow

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This is an incredible story as is the other two books in this series. However, it makes me wonder how much "truth" there is to this narrative.

Amazing Novel

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very very enjoyable but at times very hard to hear what this man went through at the hands of his sadistic mother.

the level of child abuse this man suffered!!

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As a victim of child abuse this story hit really hard but also helped me process my pain in some ways.
Very well written and narrated
well worth the listen

Heartbreaking but eye opening

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Just wow! Words cannot express how this made me feel. Inspirational! He could have turned to a life of crime with all he had been through but chose to educate.

Sad and beautiful

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I loved how it shows the little brain games mother would play with David and at such a young age he know what to do to make the beatings less worse

The point of view from David

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No child is supposed to suffer from the abuse that David did especially from the person you expect to provide him love and support.

a boy named it

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just started to get into it and 1 chapter he was a child and within 1 chapter he was an adult and the whole story was over. was left confused.

left confused

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