Dave Pelzer's Trilogy of Survival: Dave Pelzer was the target of one of the worst cases of child abuse in California history. This trio of books tells the story through his eyes.I had originally decided to read and write about another book. In our classroom one day, I saw a copy of A Child Called It sitting on one of the desktops. I picked it up and thumbed through it, reading bits here and there. I was hooked. I obtained my own copy after class and began reading it that night. Contrary to its small dimensions (184 7.5" by 5" pages in large type), it is a very big book. For this report, I have read all three of Dave Pelzer's books about his life: A Child Called It, The Lost Boy and A Man Named Dave.A Child Called It chronicles Dave's life as a child, and is told from that viewpoint. From his earliest recollections of a relatively happy life with "the Mommy" to his life and death struggle with "The Mother", this book details the horror of Daves dehumanizing existence. Going far beyond typical physical, emotional and psychological abuses, Daves story tells of intentional starvation, forced coprophagia, poisoning and much more. This volume covers his life from his earliest memories at age 4 until his rescue at age 12.The Lost Boy picks up the story where the first book leaves off, following Dave through the foster care system until the age of 18. Daves navigation through the foster care system is an arduous journey. His sense of survival is strong, but being a foster child is not easy. A Man Named Dave is the final book in the trilogy, covering Dave's life from his enlistment in the Air Force through the present day. From his resolve to be accepted by the Air Force to his almost desperate determination to be a good father to his son, Dave shares with the reader his difficulty adjusting to a normal life.DiversityThe Pelzer family was white and middle class. Daves father, Stephen, was a firefighter, and his mother, Catherine, was a homemak...
