Memoir- A Child Called It

I have not read a memoir in quite a while.  One I have read in my past, however, is A Child Called It, by Dave Pelzer.  I chose this book because not only was it one that impacted me while reading it, it is one I've heard come up in conversation a few times by my students over the past few years as well.  In this book, Dave recounts his experience with abuse as a young child.  Dave describes the abuse by his mother in detail, describing numerous events that were graphic and disturbing.  What kept me reading was not the accounts of abuse, however, but Dave's will to survive and overcome.  Dave was able to find the strength within himself to rise out of these terrible experiences and continue on to tell his story.  As a reader, you connect with him, you care about him, you have a relationship with the child who endures all this pain and suffering.  While the content in this book is horrific, it forms a connection between reader and author, almost as if he chose you to confide in, to tell his secrets to.
In my opinion, this book is more appropriate for older students and adults.  While some of my sixth graders have read it on their own, it is not a book I would suggest for them to read, and would absolutely check in with their parents if they arrived at class with it as their reading selection.  The students who have read the book, however, want to talk about it.  They want to hold conversations, analyze it with one another, and connect with each other.  This book is a gateway- not only does it draw in readers, but it draws people reading it together through our humanity and compassion for one another and need to communicate about this shared experience.  While I would not read this book again, I appreciate the experience I had from reading it and the numerous conversations I was able to have with others who read it as well.

-Sarah Schloss