Dave Pelzer's "A Child Called 'It'" is a graphic account of what its title says. It is about being demised and forfeited to basically nothing by one's own mother.

Pelzer opens this first autobiography by recalling what his life was like as a young boy before his harassment began. During this time his parents treated him equally and did not abuse him. They were a happy family.

However, this happiness disappeared at the age of four when his mother became an alcoholic. Dave's mother abused him badly, and some of these incidents included laying him in an ice-cold bathtub of water for hours at a time, or making him drink ammonia and Clorox. The abuse became so bad that his mother once stabbed him with a knife.

To make matters worse, Dave was the only child in the family abused at that time, and the rest his family did not help him. Dave's father tried to intervene a couple of times, but Dave's mother was always in the way. After that, his father gave up trying to help. His mother was so bad to him that his brothers were too scared to help him.

Pelzer examines the topic of child abuse in a way in which his readers will never forget. The incidents are so graphic and detailed, the reader will be able to picture exactly what happened, and how they happened. It is impressive that he can remember everything so vividly after so many years.

Pelzer continues to document his life experiences in two sequels. These include, "The Lost Boy" and "A Man Named Dave."