A Child Called “It”

By:Dave Pelzer

Dave Pelzer Born December 29, 1960 Joined the Air Force at age 18 He is a part of the alumni group

(John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Anne Bancroft, Orson Welles, Elvis Presley, Walt Disney and Nelson Rockefeller)

Dave was the only United States citizen to be awarded as one of the Outstanding Young Persons of the World in Kobe Japan.

Buckcherry dedicated ”Rescue me” and “A child called it” to Dave Pelzer's book

Characters

Dave Pelzer Catherine Roerva (Dave’s mother) Stephen Pelzer (Dave’s father) Ronald Pelzer (older brother) Stan Pelzer (older brother) Kevin Pelzer (younger brother) Mr. Ziegler (fifth grade teacher)

Protagonist Dave Pelzer Worst child abuse case in California His mother abused him

Smack, hit, burn, starve, stab, etc.

His father was never there His brothers would go along with their

mother

Antagonist Catherine Roerva An alcoholic She abused her son

Make him clean to possibly get some food Make him strip down and burn him on the

stove Have him eat dirty dippers from his

younger brother Be in a “gas chamber” of Clorox and

ammonia

Favorite Character

Dave Pelzer hands down He suffered through a lot of abuse He tried to save himself

Delaying his abuse Steal food from school, trash cans and stores Try not to do anything “mother” didn’t like

He stood up to his mother

Least Favorite Character

Catherine Roerva Abused Dave Made excuses for Dave’s bruises Had Dave be the families slave Made him sleep in the basement

with an army cot for a bed Etc.

Plot Summary(Exposition)

His family once was happy Described as the 1960’s Brady

bunch Daly City, California They had many pets

Dogs, cats, fish, and a tortoise

Plot Summary(Rising Action)

Dave’s mother and father begin to drink and both become alcoholics

Dave’s mother began to abuse him little by little

Dave’s father never abused him physically but mentally

Plot Summary(Climax)

Dave’s mother changes She went from putting Dave into a

corner to more drastic punishments Examples:

Forcing ammonia down his throat Smashing him into objects like mirrors, tables,

etc. Stabbing him with a knife Starving him for days Burning him on the kitchen stove

Plot Summary(Falling Action)

The teachers and nurses start to realize the truth

They begin to try and help Dave At first it only made things worse His mother abused him more when

she got phone calls from the nurses and principal

Plot Summary(Resolution)

Dave is rescued He was taken out of the house at

age 12 Mr. Ziegler was the main one who

helped David out Dave Pelzer was put into foster

care

Setting

1960’s

Daly City, California

Most of the abuse took place in his home

His parents would take the family to Chinatown, San Francisco for vacation

Themes

1. Ability to overcome remarkable odds “Mother” would abuse David yet he lived through

it and is teaching the world about child abuse.

2. Alcohol abuse Dave’s parents abuse their body with alcohol and

things turn out extremely bad.

3. Hero figures Dave was saved by his teachers, nurse and

principal. He will never forget the day he was free from his mothers abuse.

Rating I give this book a 10 This book was

extremely emotional It shows that people

should notice more about child abuse and not let it pass you by

Dave is an amazingly strong person to be able to overcome this abuse at such a young age

Over 3 million reports of child abuse are made every year in the United States alone

About five children die everyday Three out of four are under the age of four

A report of child abuse is made every ten seconds

Estimated annual cost of child abuse in the United States is $104 billion.

All from (Childhelp,1959-2009)

Statistics

Statistics

Statistics 36% of women in prison were abused as

a child 14% of men in prison were abused as a

child Over 60% in drug rehabilitation centers

were abused as children About 30% of abused children will abuse

their kids as well About 80% of 21 year olds that were

abuse have one psychological disorder All from (Child help,1959-2009)

Consequences of abused children

25% more likely to experience teen pregnancy

59% more likely to be arrested as a juvenile

2.5 times more likely to develop alcohol abuse

3.8 times more likely to develop drug addiction

All from (Child help, 1959-2009)

Consequences of a child abusers

A state may require a parent to accept parenting training or assistance

The state may remove the child from the parent’s home

The state may have the child go to an adoption center instead of foster care or a relatives home

All from (Legal Research, 2010)

Physical signs of child abuse

Unexplained burns, cuts, bruises, etc.

Bite marks

Anti-social behavior

Problems in school

Fear of adults All from (Child Welfare, 2010)

Emotional signs of child abuse

Apathy

Depression

Hostility or stress

Lack of concentration

Eating disorders All from (Child Welfare, 2010)

Sexual signs of child abuse Nightmares and bedwetting

Drastic changes in appetite

Over compliance or excessive aggression

Fear of a particular person or family member

Inappropriate interest or knowledge of sexual acts

All from (Child Welfare, 2010)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bv52n2jmGlY

Child abuse video

Work Cited"Child Abuse and Neglect Fatalities: Statistics and Interventions." Child Welfare

Information Gateway. Web. 23 Feb. 2010.

Dave Pelzer's Official Website. Web. 12 Feb. 2010.

"Legal Consequences of Abuse - Lawyers.com." Family Law Attorney, Lawyer, Attorneys, Lawyers and Legal Research Information - Lawyers.com. Web. 21

Feb. 2010.

"National Child Abuse Statistics - Childhelp." Welcome to Childhelp - Childhelp. Web. 19 Feb. 2010.

Pelzer, David J. A Child Called "it": One Child's Courage to Survive. Deerfield Beach, Fla.: Health Communications, 1995. Print.

Welcome to the Official Website of Catholic Charities of Dallas, Texas. Web. 17 Feb. 2010.

"YouTube - Don't Look Away: A Child Abuse Awareness Video." YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. Web. 10 Feb. 2010.