--- product_id: 221574 title: "A Child Called It: One Child's Courage to Survive" price: "124 Lei" currency: RON in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.ro/products/221574-a-child-called-it-one-childs-courage-to-survive store_origin: RO region: Romania --- # 4.7/5 from 16,552 reviews Bestseller #2 Child Abuse Free shipping available A Child Called It: One Child's Courage to Survive **Price:** 124 Lei **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Summary > 📖 Discover the untold courage that everyone’s talking about ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** A Child Called It: One Child's Courage to Survive - **How much does it cost?** 124 Lei with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.ro](https://www.desertcart.ro/products/221574-a-child-called-it-one-childs-courage-to-survive) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Key Features - • **Emotional Depth:** A gripping narrative that evokes empathy and action - • **Inspiring Survival:** A testament to resilience that fuels hope and change - • **Empowering Awareness:** Transforms readers into advocates for vulnerable children - • **Top-Ranked Bestseller:** Ranked #2 in Child Abuse books—join millions who’ve read it - • **Unflinching True Story:** Raw, real-life courage that demands attention ## Overview A Child Called It is Dave Pelzer’s harrowing memoir of surviving severe childhood abuse. Ranked #2 in Child Abuse books and boasting a 4.7-star rating from over 16,000 readers, this bestseller offers a powerful, eye-opening narrative that raises awareness and inspires advocacy for vulnerable children everywhere. ## Description This book chronicles the unforgettable account of one of the most severe child abuse cases in California history. It is the story of Dave Pelzer, who was brutally beaten and starved by his emotionally unstable, alcoholic mother: a mother who played tortuous, unpredictable games--games that left him nearly dead. He had to learn how to play his mother's games in order to survive because she no longer considered him a son, but a slave; and no longer a boy, but an "it." Dave's bed was an old army cot in the basement, and his clothes were torn and raunchy. When his mother allowed him the luxury of food, it was nothing more than spoiled scraps that even the dogs refused to eat. The outside world knew nothing of his living nightmare. He had nothing or no one to turn to, but his dreams kept him alive--dreams of someone taking care of him, loving him and calling him their son. Review: Heartbreaking - This book was a tearjerker. If you have ever read this book you will understand how heartbreaking it was. I first read this book in elementary school. This book shows that it can be anyone to abuse a child and the love for the person abusing the child is still there but they don't understand why this is happening to them and what they did wrong. People can change in a heartbeat and doesn't matter who they are to you. Dave was afraid to tell anyone what was going on at home and some people just turned their heads and acted like they didn't see anything wrong, but when someone finally gets him the help he so desperately needed he sees the kindness in them. This broke my heart for the child he was. Review: Great story of survival & strength of the human spirit - I bought this book a couple years ago but never had a chance to read it til recently. Very sad story of a little boy in a dysfunctional family who was horribly mistreated, neglected, and abused by his mentally ill and evil mother. It's amazing he survived and didn't turn into a serial killer or something. His mother was a real piece of work and sadly was never made to pay for her crimes, but his brothers were creeps, too. Gramma wasn't any better. So sad that this tormented child had no one to turn to and no one he could trust. My childhood wasn't all sunshine and roses, but I can't imagine living with the daily horrors this little boy was forced to endure. I'm glad that some of the people at school finally started to pay attention and made an attempt to help him, but it was too little, too late. Thank God he was eventually removed from this hellish environment by age 12. I have since read the other 2 sequels to this book and Dave's other books. (He needs a better editor.) I hope sharing his story has been cathartic for him. It seems his life as an adult has not been easy or without heartache, but I pray God will give him perfect healing and release him from the pain of his unfortunate past. He is a survivor. I hope the people in his life will quit taking advantage of him and that his years will be peaceful and full of joy and happiness. I want to recommend a couple similar true abuse/survival stories by authors in the UK that were better and even more compelling: 1. Peter Roche's book "Unloved" will break your heart! He was pushed out the door and made to fend for himself while he was still in diapers. The pitiful photo on the book's cover is a picture of him taken as a baby that was used as propoganda by the UK in their attempts to make a show of helping the poor and needy back in the '60's, although they did not help this poor child or his family in the least! How this little boy survived and lived to tell about it, I will never know, but I'm so glad he did. It should be required reading for anybody 14 and up. We all have so much to be thankful for, while this child had nothing and no one to love him. I read his book while on the beach this summer and I couldn't put it down. Finished it in a day. 2. Kat Ward's series of Keri books (there are 5). Her childhood in the UK was horrific. Her mother was evil incarnate and her step-father was just as evil. She was mistreated in the worst possible ways and when she was finally able to tell someone she trusted, her mother made sure nobody believed her and made her life a living hell. Even once she was in the system, she was not safe from abuse or from her mother's cruelty. I bought the Kindle versions and read through the entire series in a week's time (they were each around 500+ pages long). I didn't get much sleep that week, but couldn't put them down. She is an excellent writer and made me feel like I was right there with her the whole time. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time and am anxiously hoping she will put out a part 6. ## Features - Dave Pelzer, A Child Called "It": One Child's Courage to Survive, paperback ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #5,956 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #2 in Child Abuse (Books) | | Customer Reviews | 4.7 out of 5 stars 16,736 Reviews | ## Images ![A Child Called It: One Child's Courage to Survive - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71coj5flmZL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Heartbreaking *by B***D on March 6, 2026* This book was a tearjerker. If you have ever read this book you will understand how heartbreaking it was. I first read this book in elementary school. This book shows that it can be anyone to abuse a child and the love for the person abusing the child is still there but they don't understand why this is happening to them and what they did wrong. People can change in a heartbeat and doesn't matter who they are to you. Dave was afraid to tell anyone what was going on at home and some people just turned their heads and acted like they didn't see anything wrong, but when someone finally gets him the help he so desperately needed he sees the kindness in them. This broke my heart for the child he was. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Great story of survival & strength of the human spirit *by B***S on October 1, 2015* I bought this book a couple years ago but never had a chance to read it til recently. Very sad story of a little boy in a dysfunctional family who was horribly mistreated, neglected, and abused by his mentally ill and evil mother. It's amazing he survived and didn't turn into a serial killer or something. His mother was a real piece of work and sadly was never made to pay for her crimes, but his brothers were creeps, too. Gramma wasn't any better. So sad that this tormented child had no one to turn to and no one he could trust. My childhood wasn't all sunshine and roses, but I can't imagine living with the daily horrors this little boy was forced to endure. I'm glad that some of the people at school finally started to pay attention and made an attempt to help him, but it was too little, too late. Thank God he was eventually removed from this hellish environment by age 12. I have since read the other 2 sequels to this book and Dave's other books. (He needs a better editor.) I hope sharing his story has been cathartic for him. It seems his life as an adult has not been easy or without heartache, but I pray God will give him perfect healing and release him from the pain of his unfortunate past. He is a survivor. I hope the people in his life will quit taking advantage of him and that his years will be peaceful and full of joy and happiness. I want to recommend a couple similar true abuse/survival stories by authors in the UK that were better and even more compelling: 1. Peter Roche's book "Unloved" will break your heart! He was pushed out the door and made to fend for himself while he was still in diapers. The pitiful photo on the book's cover is a picture of him taken as a baby that was used as propoganda by the UK in their attempts to make a show of helping the poor and needy back in the '60's, although they did not help this poor child or his family in the least! How this little boy survived and lived to tell about it, I will never know, but I'm so glad he did. It should be required reading for anybody 14 and up. We all have so much to be thankful for, while this child had nothing and no one to love him. I read his book while on the beach this summer and I couldn't put it down. Finished it in a day. 2. Kat Ward's series of Keri books (there are 5). Her childhood in the UK was horrific. Her mother was evil incarnate and her step-father was just as evil. She was mistreated in the worst possible ways and when she was finally able to tell someone she trusted, her mother made sure nobody believed her and made her life a living hell. Even once she was in the system, she was not safe from abuse or from her mother's cruelty. I bought the Kindle versions and read through the entire series in a week's time (they were each around 500+ pages long). I didn't get much sleep that week, but couldn't put them down. She is an excellent writer and made me feel like I was right there with her the whole time. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time and am anxiously hoping she will put out a part 6. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Dave Pelzer writes a powerful and emotional memoir about his abuse as a child *by A***T on December 20, 2023* A Child Called It: One Child's Courage to Survive is a very powerful and emotional book. This is the first I have read from this author. The author shares his terrible experiences with child abuse. I say child abuse, but it was pure and simple torture. Starting out as a regular family, with happy parents and brothers, David thinks he's got everything he needs. Things seem to turn on a dime with his mother, being the dominant one in the family. At first, his father tries to help him and stick up for him, but eventually his father is worn down by his mother, and no matter what his wife does to The Boy, he turns a blind eye. David is the one of the family where his mother focuses her anger and her sadistic torture, while the other boys in the family, are untouched and deflated to the point that they believe that David is a bad boy. The torture includes starvation, being beaten if he steals food so he can eat, or eats out of the trash. David does his best as a child to think of ways to eat or get even a morsel of food, but his mother always catches on. Evil would not describe this person. However, young David is resilient, sometimes he wishes he would just die to get it over with, and other times, he is determined to live and leave this place. Family, friends, neighbors, schools see the abuse, but do not do anything about this. After dehumanizing him by taking away his name, calling him The Boy, she added another depth of torture, by telling him he was It. The abuse is in the 70's, when David was a young child, and it was just the start of people thinking that things like that should not be happening. David was labeled the smelly kid who stole food, making him an outcast in school. It is definitely an emotional rollercoaster, making you want to cry, while also cheering David's strength, even at his weakest point. His mother stabbed him. Beat him. Put him in what he called her gas chamber game, where she locked him in the bathroom, adding Bleach and Ammonia for it's poisonous gas. Eventually, someone at his school finally had enough of him coming with bruises, torn and worn, unwashed clothes. Some pages, you end up reading slower than others, so not to miss anything. I must say that David was very brave as a child, and to him, thank you for sharing his story. There are more books in this series, and I already have ordered them, and await their arrival. A Child Called It: One Child's Courage to Survive is a definite recommendation by Amy's Bookshelf Reviews. I read this book to give my unbiased and honest review. Amy's Bookshelf Reviews recommends that anyone who reads this book, to also write a review. ## Frequently Bought Together - A Child Called It: One Child's Courage to Survive - The Lost Boy: A Foster Child's Search for the Love of a Family - A Man Named Dave: A Story of Triumph and Forgiveness --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.ro/products/221574-a-child-called-it-one-childs-courage-to-survive](https://www.desertcart.ro/products/221574-a-child-called-it-one-childs-courage-to-survive) --- *Product available on Desertcart Romania* *Store origin: RO* *Last updated: 2026-06-05*