Important People

The important people in this book is David Pelzer and Mrs. and Mr. Pelzer. David was a happy four-year-old, when his mother started drinking and became abusive. His mother began to play games of torture by starving him, eat chemicals, and sleep under a table in the garage. I cannot believe how much abuse he took from his mother. David seemed like a normal child, he liked to play with his brothers and hangout with his family. I think that David liked school because it was a waty to get away from his mother for hours. He found ways to feed himself by stealing kids lunches and eating out of the trash can.

What I think and feel..

In David Pelzer's book he tells about how his mother abused him emotionally and physically and how he was isolated from the world. I think that many parents that don't or can't have children, would treat David with more respect than his own mother did. I feel that all children should feel like they belong in their family and feel love. Mrs. Pelzer was not a very good mother, in the beginning of the book she was very nice, loving, and kind; but then she turned into an alcoholic and everything changed. Many people that want children would be more then happy to take David off Mrs. Pelzers hands instead of David getting abused.

Theme

The theme of the book is obviously abuse. Abuse is the theme of David Pelzer's life. I think that if I was abused I wouldn't be able to recover like David did. Mrs. Pelzer's called her child an "it", that's why the title of this book is amazing. Davids mother didn't like to refer to David as a member of the family for many years. I feel bad that children have to go through years of getting abused, I can't imagine doing anything like that to a child.

Plot

This plot is very unique because it's based on true events. It's important to pay attention to the events because the author isn't making it up, its from memories of his childhood. Besides the struggle physically, David Pelzer also emphasis on the emotions he was feeling and how hard it was to live as prisoner of his own home. I think after reading this book I am more thankful towards my parents for not doing what Mrs. Pelzer did to David to me. Paying attention to the detail David goes into as he tells the story; makes you picture it in your head, imagine what he went through and makes you wonder how he survived.

Climax

I think the climax of the book is in the first chapter when the school nurse once again examines David and the teachers bring in a police officer. He's unsure if David will be saved or sent home everyday after school and come back with more bruises, cuts, and scratches. I feel bad for any child that has to go through what David went through. Nobody deserves to be treated so badly that the police has to get involved or child survices has to come to your house and ask you if your okay. Another point in the story that I think is very interesting is that when Mrs. Pelzer started being nice to David, and he was exstatic and he thought things would be different from then on but the only reason she was nice was because a lady from chil survices was coming to their house and was asking if Davids' mother was beating him and fed him regularly.

Conflict

I think that the conflict is between David and his mother. The conflict is obviously physical because of all the cruel things Mrs. Pelzer does to her son. While David is trying to survive sleeping in the cold garage and being a slave in his own home. Mrs. Pelzer excludes David from the dinner table, makes him sleep in the garage, burns him, and locks him in the bathroom with poisones gases. I think that no child should be treated that way, and if your going to do that to your children then you might as well put him/her up for adoption. Its surprising to me that David was able to survive all of this; even though he had to eat out of the garbage and steal other kids food at school and when he got caught his mother beat him even more then usual.

An Alcoholic Mother

Catherine Pelzer was a violent women, and she took out her anger on her children. I think that she could have handled being an alcoholic differently then torturing Dave. A mother shouldn't make her child starve, sleep in the garage, drink ammonia, breath in deadly gases and play devil games like gas chamber. Dave had to go through all of this for eight years. I feel like Mrs. Pelzer could have gotten help instead of doing bad things to her children. I can't believe that a mother would beat up her child, give him bruises, and make him lie to his teachers about what had happened to him. No child deserves to be treated that way even if their mother was an alcoholic.