This book chronicles the unforgettable account of one of the most severe child abuse cases in California history. It is the story of Dave Pelzer, who was brutally beaten and starved by his emotionally unstable, alcoholic mother: a mother who played tortuous, unpredictable games--games that left him nearly dead. He had to learn how to play his mother's games in order to survive because she no longer considered him a son, but a slave; and no longer a boy, but an "it." Dave's bed was an old army cot in the basement, and his clothes were torn and raunchy. When his mother allowed him the luxury of food, it was nothing more than spoiled scraps that even the dogs refused to eat. The outside world knew nothing of his living nightmare. He had nothing or no one to turn to, but his dreams kept him alive--dreams of someone taking care of him, loving him and calling him their son.

大卫·佩尔泽，享誉国际的美国著名作家。童年时代曾遭到母亲残酷虐待，是20世纪美国加州历史上最严重的三起虐待儿童案中唯一存活下来的人。自传体小说《一个被称作“它”的孩子》长居各大畅销书排行榜，在美国、英国、法国、德国、日本、韩国等均受到热烈欢迎，给万千读者带去了无限力量和希望，被普遍赞誉为“人类坚强灵魂的奇迹”、“最激励人的书”。

大卫讲述的是色调灰暗的真实故事，也是关于人类的希望与救赎，乃至最终获得爱与接受的故事。他希望通过亲身经历和心灵之旅，告诉人们这样一个真理：即使是最黑暗的夜李中，也始终有灿烂的星光在闪烁。