This book is about a young boy who is starved, beaten, and tortured by his mother. The beginning of the novel his mother was loving and caring parent, she would always tuck them in at night and read them bedtime stories. One day his mother started drinking and became very abusive to one of her sons, David. David learned that the only way to survive was through his faith in God. During the rough time with David his mother begins to play a game. -“Gripping my arm, Mother held it in the orange-blue flame. My skin seemed to explode from the heat.” “I had stayed alive.” David mothers started creating games and is a very close to killing her son. Another reason she would torture david by making him drink bleach and eat poop. As the book ends the adult from clinic confronts the police on this situation and the student it forced to a foster home.
The connection I can make with this book is that I been abused and can kind of understand the frustration this little boy is going through. The main problem in this novel is the “power” the mother wants to gain whether its hurting him or anyone else. Parents are supposed to the the first trustworthy authority and if parents aren’t there to teach and comfort their children its hard for them to give that to others. This is true in the history of people and governments; the abused child will grow up to be the abuser unless they have real help and support to know what is good and true about themselves.
A child called “IT” was an easy book for me but reading what David went through brought tears to my eyes and I really hope people can change from something so horrible. I hope this message brought people’s attention to realize there is always a solution to abusive acts and it can be solved.
If you suspect any abusive actions in your neighborhood or family please click the link below and save a life.
https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/responding/reporting/how/
If you are a victim of abuse and are seeking help please click the link below.
http://www.domesticviolenceroundtable.org/domestic-violence.html