The Child Who Was a Thing is an unforgettable account of one of the most egregious cases of child abuse in California history. His mentally unstable, alcoholic mother beat and starved little Dave Pelzer for years. She tortured him in a sophisticated way, as a result of which the boy was on the verge of death more than once. Dave slept on an old cot in a cold garage and wore dirty, torn clothes. When his mother decided that food was an unaffordable luxury for him, he was content with garbage that even dogs disdained. The world outside the walls of his parents’ house knew nothing about the boy’s nightmarish life. He had no one to turn to for help. Only dreams helped him hold on - dreams of someone who would take care of him, love him and call him son.