Informational/ Biography Book Post

Pelzer, D. (1995). A child called it. Deerfield Beach, Florida: Health Communications.

I would like to begin this post with a challenge, I dare anyone out there to read this autobiographical novel without crying. Written as a chilling narrative, David Pelzer describes his childhood, if you could call it that, in which he lived every second in survival mode. David grew up in California and lived with his mother who starved, tortured, and maliciously abused both physically and emotionally until his was 12 years old before finally being rescued. David's mother beat him on a daily basis, she stabbed him, forced him to drink ammonia, and rarely fed him anything except for food scraps that even a dog wouldn't eat. David Pelzer's life is a frightening testament to the strength and willpower of human beings. It is truly a miracle he was able to survive. Pelzer retells his harrowing story as an informational chapter book, dividing the details of his life both before, during, and after the abuse he endured. From a middle school teaching standpoint, I cannot on good conscience recommend this book to my students as the material is just too graphic. I can see the implications of this lesson being taught at the high school level though. Although it is a very mature subject, this book could be used as part of teaching a social science  lesson in understanding and comparing appropriate human relationships. Also given the violent, shocking nature of this novel. I could see this lending some very strongly opinionated writing prompts.

Questions that could be asked include:
If you were in David's shoes, do you think you would have the courage to tell someone? Why or why not?
What do you think would have happened to David if his school had not intervened?
If you could ask David Pelzer a question about survival, what would it be?

Common Core Standards:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.11-12.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.11-12.6 Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text in which the rhetoric is particularly effective, analyzing how style and content contribute to the power, persuasiveness or beauty of the text.