All the Broken Pieces ann e. burg novel in verse/Vietnam war/relationships
Scholastic Press, 2009 218pp., $14.99 ISBN 13-978-0-08092-7
This is a sensitive treatment of a Vietnamese boy, fathered by an absentee-American father, who was airlifted to the United States during the last days of the war. Adopted by a loving and well-intentioned family, he lives in a community that has been fractured by the controversy surrounding this war. Matt is haunted by his own memories: his mother, his brother’s injury and his own guilt. He must also face the anger of a teammate who accuses him of “killing his brother.” The verse is well constructed and the imagery leaps from the pages portraying the feel and the horror of war whether experienced in the United States or in Vietnam. A thoughtful and emotional read that effortlessly pulls the reader along.
