A Child Called "it"

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Pelzer, David. A Child Called “it”: One Child’s Courage to Survive. New York: Health Communications, 1997.

Awards:n/a

Annotation: The story of a young boy told from the perspective of a child who grew up in unfathomable abuse and how his unbreakable spirit endured.

Book Review: David Peltzer grew up in a time when teachers and neighbors minded their own business and did not interfere with one another’s domestic affairs. This was a recipe for the disastrous abuse that met young David, A child called “it”. While his father was indifferent to his struggles, his mother was a manipulative and abusive alcoholic who singled David out amidst his two brothers. While they ate, he was forced to fend for himself. His mother even subjected him to inspections where she would make him vomit to see if he had eaten that day. The first time his school attempted to aide him, his mother pulled off a brilliant display of acting and David paid the price at home. Finally, David was freed after a subsequent attempt and placed in a foster home. Amazingly, David grew up to have a family and raised his son with love and care, effectively breaking this cycle of abuse.

The Diary of a Young Girl

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Frank, Anne. The Diary of a Young Girl. New York: Double Day, 1967.Print.

Awards: n/a

Annotation: The true account of a young Jewish girl living in a secret annex in the Netherlands during World War II. The Diary of a Young Girl chronicles a remarkably challenging time in history as a Anne Frank grows up in hiding.

Book Review: This story began during the Nazi occupation in The Netherlands with Anne Frank and her family. Slowly Anne, a Jew, lost privilege after privilege, until her father Otto decided the family must go into hiding. Simple things were no longer taken for granted. Just having your homework graded or even flushing the toilet became luxuries because they could have led to discovery! In spite of the extraordinary times Anne lived in or the remarkable circumstances hiding in a secret annex presented; The Diary of a Young Girl still told the story of typical teenage growing up with common adolescent concerns.

Penned to her best friend Kitty, her diary, Anne shared her story. Starting with learning about her period by reading novels, to styling her hair like movie stars from magazines, to her first romance with Peter who was also living in the annex; Anne related all of her quintessential teenage moments. More uncommonly, she never gave up hope even as she faced discovery and deportation.

 “It's really a wonder that I haven't dropped all my ideals, because they seem so absurd and impossible to carry out. Yet I keep them, because in spite of everything; I still believe that people are really good at heart.”
-Anne Frank