Pelzer's book A Child Called "It" describes from his viewpoint the severe abuse he suffered as a child. He writes how his mother was physically and emotionally abusive towards him from ages 4 to 12. He describes how his mom starved him, forced him to drink ammonia, stabbed him in the stomach, burned his arm on a gas stove, and forced him to eat his own vomit. He mentioned that his father was not active in resolving or stopping the conflicts between Pelzer and his alcoholic mother. He was sent to a foster family at age 12 in 1973. His second book The Lost Boy covers the time frame when he was in foster care. In his books, he refers to his relatives by pseudonyms. By the time Pelzer was taken out of the home, he had already suffered a great deal mentally. This caused Pelzer to act out growing up.[9] Although the main abuse had stopped, he faced continued mental anguish. Throughout his teen years, he struggled to feel loved. Being in a foster home and having suffered abuse caused him to yearn for the family and love he could not have.[10] He later forgave his father for ignoring the abuse, and wrote a letter to his mom saying he loved her as his mother, but would never see her again. She died before he could send it.[11] Throughout the rest of his life, he somewhat healed from the abuse but will never forget what he had been through. He now has written self help books to help others overcome their challenges and abuse they have suffered.
One of Pelzer's brothers, Richard B. Pelzer, published his own autobiography, A Brother's Journey, that detailed his experiences. Paraphrased, R. Pelzer said in the afterword of his book that his objectives for his story was to show how a parent can become abusive and how the human spirit can triumph and survive.[12]
