Dave Pelzer's first book in this series is phenomenal. What actually happened to him as a child is hard to imagine. This was a number one New York Times bestseller for months and is an inspirational story.

David was renamed “It” by his evil mother. His childhood begins as the life everyone hopes for. He enjoyed visits to the zoo, lake trips with family, and being cuddled by his mom while listening to a great book. David's life drastically changed when he became a first-grader. His mother and father developed drinking problems. It's very hard to read about all the sadistic “games” his mother dreamed up.

When you read some of what happens, you'll wonder how anyone could even think of ­doing such things to their own child. Pelzer is a strong man to write about his childhood when he was almost beaten to death. This book really makes you wonder how many other children suffer such abuse.

As his teachers and principal, neighbors, and even his father stand by and let the abuse happen, it makes you wonder what you would have done. This book is extremely well written. All of the gruesome details help you to visualize what he went through. There are more books in this series, and you'll want to read them all once you begin. This book is for mature readers only.