A Child Called "It"
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| A Child Called "It" | |
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| Author | David Pelzer |
| Country |  USA |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Health Communications, Inc. |
| Publication date | 1995 |
A Child Called "It": One Child's Courage to Survive is Dave Pelzer's 1995 autobiographical account of his alleged abuse as a child by an alcoholic mother, Catherine Roerva. It was published on September 1, 1995.
Questions have been raised about Pelzer's works and their authenticity.[1][2] In a 2002 New York Times article, "Dysfunction for Dollars," Pelzer's younger brother, Stephen Pelzer, is quoted as saying, "David wasn't at all ostracized from the family; he was very close to me and Robert (the oldest brother). We were the Three Musketeers. David would make up lies, to receive some attention. But David had to be the center of attention. He was a hyper, over happy spoiled brat." Adding to the controversy, "his grandmother, Ruth Cole (born in 1910) remembers him as a 'disruptive kid, only interested in himself, with big ideas of imagination and comfort.'"[1]
Supporting Pelzer's story is schoolteacher Athena Konstan of Daly City, who wrote, "In my 31 years of teaching, David Pelzer was the most severely abused child I have ever known."[3] His brother Richard Pelzer, who wrote the book A Brother's Journey, argues that there was abuse in the family but disputes many of David's claims and questions his ethics and marketing tactics.
Pelzer's website claims the book was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize; however, according to a Guardian profile, it was merely submitted to the prize board, a process open to any work of literature.[4] It can therefore be considered a submission but not a nominee.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b "Dysfunction for Dollars" by Pat Jordan, July 28, 2002
- ^ Dave Pelzer - The Child Abuse Entrepreneur - Slate.com
- ^ San Francisco Chronicle, Jerry Carroll, July 30, 1998 "The Beaten Path: Author David Pelzer chronicles a nightmare childhood"
- ^ ['I was never about boo hoo hoo' http://books.guardian.co.uk/departments/healthmindandbody/story/0,,2287331,00.html] by Decca Aitkenhead, The Guardian June 26, 2008
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