Mike Dalton -- Blogmeister

This particular case of child abuse happened in 1973, but there are abuses that are still going on today. Knowing this, could there be any way to stop this horrible act? Would starting a child abuse awareness group help cut down the amount of cases? What are some ways that we can get abused kids out of the situation sooner? We have to figure out ways to eliminate abuse. What would you do?

I think the theme of this book is “whatever doesn’t kill you, only makes you stronger.” Throughout the book, David was brutally abused and tortured, but he stays strong throughout it. In the book, David says, “That day, I vowed to myself that I would never, ever again give that b**ch the satisfaction of hearing me beg her to stop beating me." He is saying that even though he is getting beat, he will try to find ways to fight through it and become stronger. David’s mother progressively treats him worse, but he becomes stronger despite an increasing sense of isolation. Later in his life, David joined the armed forces. This shows that even though he was abused as a child, he has the self-preservation to join the forces. Also, he has become a motivational speaker, not only to talk about abuse, but to talk about how to believe in yourself.

The two literary elements that I chose to use for this book are, simile and foreshadowing. First, the simile is, "The green river water was as smooth as glass." This is comparing the smoothness of the river water to glass using "as". The excerpt for the book for foreshadowing is, "That day, I vowed to myself that I would never, ever again give that b**ch the satisfaction of hearing me beg her to stop beating me." This is saying that in the future, David is not going to beg his mother to stop beating him, because if he does, it makes her feel good about herself.

The author of this book is Dave Pelzer. He is also the main character and narrator of the story. As a child, Dave had to go through extreme child abuse, which included physical and mental torture. When he was rescued from his abuse, he was identified as one of the most severely abused children in the history of California. At age 18, he became a member of the armed forces, and was involved in Operations Just Cause, Desert Shield, and Desert Storm. David has also been awarded for all of his distinctive accomplishments. Also, he has had been recognized by Presidents Reagan, Bush, Clinton, and George W. Bush. Dave is one of the only authors to have four books on the New York Times Best Sellers List. Also, he is the only author to have four #1 International Best Sellers. His other books include, The Lost Boy, and A Man Named Dave.

Here’s My Story

This book takes place in Daly City, California, and it is during the year of 1973. The town of Daly City is where David Pelzer grew up from the ages of 4 to 12. The majority of the book takes place inside of David's home which is located in a middle class neighborhood. Also, some of the book takes place at David's school and the school playground. Another place that the book takes place is Chinatown San Francisco. David's mother takes him and his brothers to this place to teach them about the Chinese people and their culture.

The character that I have chosen for the Character Analysis is Dave Pelzer. David is not only the Narrator of the story, but also the main character.

David is a young child who is both mentally and physically abused by his hateful mother. David is a very malnourished, frail, and unkempt. His clothes are very old and ragged with many holes in various places. Many of his fellow classmates at school often made fun of his appearance and smell.

Although some people may not think so, David actually loved his mother even throughout his abuse. However, there were times when David did not even want to see his mother ever again. Also, at some times, David felt sorry for his mother, because he thought there maybe something wrong with her. Since David's mother would often starve him, he had to take action. His main source of food would be from his fellow classmates at school. He would try to sneak out of recess and steal some of their food. After getting caught at that, he would then run from school to the nearest grocery store.

Most of the students at David's school see him as a poor kid that can't afford new clothes and that smells. They often try to avoid him and not involve him in anything. David's brothers think that David is just a bad kid. Since Dave's mother does not allow him to play with his brothers, they often don't think about him that much. His mother on the other hand, views him as a nobody. She completely degrades him, and pretty much makes him her slave. She does not care for him what so ever, and doesn't really care what happens to him.

The character that I am analyzing is also the narrator, and he reveals his whole life story. He thinks of himself as an unwanted child. Also, David tells about a nurse that became very suspicious about his bruises. At first, David seems shy and scared to tell her what is going on, but after a while, he becomes comfortable telling the nurse about his life.

The book called "A Child Called It" is a book about on of the most severe child abuse cases in California. The story involves Dave Pelzer who was brutally beaten and starved by his mother. The main reasons why she would beat her son was because she was a very unstable and an alcoholic.

As time went on, David's mother would start to play "games" with him. These so called "games" were not ordinary games that anyone would play. These games never involved anything fun, and sometimes left David nearly dead. In order to survive these games, David had to find ways to stall his mother. This sometime worked, because if he stalled her long enough, his father would come home and his mother would have to stop.

Throughout his childhood, Dave was starved, usually only eating leftover scraps from the table. He slept on an old army cot in the cold basement and never really had nice clothes. When David was feeling bad or was hurt, he mostly turned to his dad. But, his dad soon would leave him which in turn left him with no one to turn to. Only his dreams of someone taking care of him and loving him kept him alive.

I'm actually not that big of a reader, but when I have to choose what i like to read, I guess i would choose either action or humorous books. I like action books because I feel that I can really get into the story. I like feeling the suspense of the story. I like books with humor, because I like to laugh, and the books are fun to read.

Thanks for reading this Mrs. Ross! ;) I <3 U!

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