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A Child Called "It"

One Child's Courage to Survive
Aug 21, 2017ctalltree rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
The order in which this story is told is interesting: First a hint of the abuse along with the freedom from it; then the abuse itself; lastly, the reflection on the story as an adult along with resources. It is as though the story itself is so horrific, you need to know early on that there will be some hope in it sometime, somewhere. This story closely resembles the abuse I suffered at the hands of my mother in the 60's and 70's, along with the passivity of my father and other family members, and along with the helplessness of outsiders to do anything about it. The dynamics of "good mom/bad mom" also hold true, switching between them unexpectedly with the fear, fear, fear always always there. Other children saying, "I wish my mom was like yours", and wondering what their moms did to them when they were alone with them... and trying hard to feel lucky that I didn't have it as bad as they must have. Never understanding that what I experienced was NOT "normal". I look forward to reading the second book in the trilogy, because I know, from experience, that the work has only begun for David at that point once his feelings are finally allowed to surface. To do the hard work to learn a new "normal", and how to care for oneself.