When do we recognize a child as old enough to find out that there is abuse in the world? When the child grows up to become an adult, or when they become shocked by a book such as this that it shows them that their world is not as innocent as they might think? One out of these 123 reviews of this book says that she does not want children reading it because "the shock value for young readers is high. It definitely robs one of their innocence." Kids will grow up whether we want them to or not, and by reading about one child who lived through this suffering for so many years and survived it gives anyone an insight into their own life. Many reviewers say that they see that their hard times are now a blessing compared to what David Pelzer had to live through. We can all learn positive stuff from reading this book and find that we can be grateful for everything that we have.

This book was written for a fifth grade level, and the author took out a lot of the more important details about his childhood, but I still recommend it, if you have the stomach for it. Remember the box of tissues!