For Veteran's Day--Book revisit: All the Broken Pieces by Ann Burg

All the Broken Pieces by Ann Burg (my sister) was published in 2009.  It was the first book I ever wrote about on this blog but I would like to revisit it again today---for Veteran's Day. It is the story of a boy from Vietnam who is adopted into an American family.  It deals with how he  comes to terms with his past.  It also deals with Vietnam Veterans and their experiences when they came home from the war...and much more.  this book is the perfect way to talk about Vietnam Veterans and their role in history.   My sister always speaks about how it is a very personal story for her because of what she witnessed of the Vietnam War as she was growing up.  I myself just remember images from the TV and how angry everyone was about the war.  Even though the book came out a few years ago she is still getting positive responses to the novel.  She recently wrote her monthly blog post about her most vivid memories of a Vietnam War Veteran.  She talks about seeing him in Washington Square Park in NYC and describes the feelings she felt that never went away and changed her perspective on history.  Below is an excerpt from her posting, to read the whole blog posting just click on the title below it is worth the read:

The Veteran of Washington Square ~ An Open Letter to Veterans Everywhere by Ann Burg

.....His appearance in my novel, All the Broken Pieces, was my way of honoring and thanking the Veteran of  Washington Square for sacrificing his youth and his innocence.

We lost a big piece

of ourselves in Vietnam,

and none of us will

ever be the same,

but we did some good too.

We made a difference.

  I wish my Washington Square Veteran could see this post or read my book. I hope that he has found some measure of peace. Whatever one’s opinion about Vietnam, or any war for that matter, all veterans deserve our respect and gratitude. From the deepest recesses of my heart, I wish them peace. 

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To all who have sacrificed for our country---Thank You! -- RM

All the Broken Pieces by Ann E. Burg

The first book I want to tell you about is All the Broken Pieces by Ann E. Burg. I guess I should disclose the fact that Ann Burg is my sister. She is an author who has written quite a few children's books. I am very proud of her. When I was a little girl she would sit on my bed and read to me the stories and poems she wrote. She took me for my first library card and instilled in me the love of books. My mother was also a great influence to me regarding the love of reading~that is another story. But it was my sister who read to me often and made the words seem real. This book brought home to me a time when I was growing up but did not understand because I was so young. I saw the images on the TV of the helicopters and soldiers, of children being lifted into those helicopters. I never understood why. I knew a girl in high school from Vietnam but she wasn't one of those children. As an adult I learned more but still never really thought about what had happened to these children. I felt bad that the vets had been treated poorly but again I had no understanding of their feelings. When my sister started this book and read to me passages I started to get a glimpse of these children and soldiers and their struggles. This book is a great read for all ages but especially for young readers. As you can see there is a baseball on the cover~so boys should like it ! Baseball and music are central to the plot. It gives a fresh perspective on a very tumultuous time~Check it out!