{"id":18824,"date":"2020-11-20T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-11-20T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=18824"},"modified":"2020-11-29T09:48:11","modified_gmt":"2020-11-29T13:48:11","slug":"is-a-child-called-it-a-true-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/is-a-child-called-it-a-true-story\/","title":{"rendered":"Is A Child Called ‘It’ a True Story? Sadly, Yes"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Is A Child Called \u201cIt\u201d<\/em> a true story? Are the events in A Child Called \u201cIt\u201d<\/em> real and is A Child Called \u201cIt\u201d<\/em> accurate about the abuse Dave Pelzer suffered?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Child Called \u201cIt\u201d<\/em> is a true story. Some experts believe some of if it was exaggerated. If you’re wondering, “Is A Child Called \u201cIt\u201d<\/em> a true story?” the answer is mostly yes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keep reading to understand the answer to the question: Is A Child Called \u201cIt\u201d<\/em> a true story?<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Is A Child Called \u201cIt\u201d<\/em> a True Story?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A Child Called \u201cIt\u201d <\/em>is author Dave Pelzer\u2019s autobiographical account of the abuse he endured at his mother\u2019s hands from ages 4 to 12. His experience was one of the worst cases of child abuse reported in California history at the time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The book is the first in a trilogy\u2014the first chronicling the childhood abuse, the second his teenage years in foster care, and the third his rehabilitation in adulthood. The books showcase Pelzer\u2019s resilience and determination in the face of horrific abuse and adversity.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pelzer wrote this book using the perspective, language, and tone he had as a child, without any adult insight or speculation about the reasons for his mother\u2019s behavior. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

All the alarming statistics about child abuse and neglect\u2014millions of cases reported each year, killing nearly five children each day\u2014don\u2019t begin to illustrate how victims experience abuse. In A Child Called \u201cIt<\/em>,\u201d <\/em>author Dave Pelzer provides a rare and grisly glimpse into his experience of severe physical and psychological abuse at his mother\u2019s hands.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In one of the worst child abuse cases reported in California\u2019s history at the time, Pelzer was starved, burned on the stove, regularly locked in the bathroom with a noxious mixture of ammonia and Clorox, and forbidden from speaking to or looking at any of his family members. Through it all, Pelzer maintained an indomitable will to survive that\u2019s a testament to the strength of the human spirit even under the bleakest circumstances.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: Several sources\u2014including at Slate<\/a>, The New York Times<\/a>, and The Guardian<\/a>\u2014have criticized Pelzer for exploiting his experiences for profit and doubt the veracity of Dave\u2019s story. While they don\u2019t refute Pelzer\u2019s abuse, they suspect he exaggerates certain details. Pelzer\u2019s mother and father are both dead, and two of his brothers reportedly denied that the abuse was as severe as Pelzer claims.)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Is A Child Called \u201cIt\u201d a true story? Are the events in A Child Called \u201cIt\u201d real and is A Child Called \u201cIt\u201d accurate about the abuse Dave Pelzer suffered? A Child Called \u201cIt\u201d is a true story. Some experts believe some of if it was exaggerated. If you’re wondering, “Is A Child Called \u201cIt\u201d a true story?” the answer is mostly yes. Keep reading to understand the answer to the question: Is A Child Called \u201cIt\u201d a true story?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":18943,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[40,13],"tags":[157],"class_list":["post-18824","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-books","category-parenting","tag-a-child-called-it","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"\nIs A Child Called 'It' a True Story? 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