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Purple Heart
When Private Matt Duffy wakes up in an army hospital in Iraq, he's honored with a Purple Heart. But he doesn't feel like a hero.
There's a memory that haunts him: an image of a young Iraqi boy as a bullet hits his chest. Matt can't shake the feeling that he was somehow involved in his death. But because of a head injury he sustained just moments after the boy was shot, Matt can't quite put all the pieces together.
Eventually Matt is sent back into combat with his squad—Justin, Wolf, and Charlene—the soldiers who have become his family during his time in Iraq. He just wants to go back to being the soldier he once was. But he sees potential threats everywhere and lives in fear of not being able to pull the trigger when the time comes. In combat there is no black-and-white, and Matt soon discovers that the notion of who is guilty is very complicated indeed.
National Book Award Finalist Patricia McCormick has written a visceral and compelling portrait of life in a war zone, where loyalty is valued above all, and death is terrifyingly commonplace.
There's a memory that haunts him: an image of a young Iraqi boy as a bullet hits his chest. Matt can't shake the feeling that he was somehow involved in his death. But because of a head injury he sustained just moments after the boy was shot, Matt can't quite put all the pieces together.
Eventually Matt is sent back into combat with his squad—Justin, Wolf, and Charlene—the soldiers who have become his family during his time in Iraq. He just wants to go back to being the soldier he once was. But he sees potential threats everywhere and lives in fear of not being able to pull the trigger when the time comes. In combat there is no black-and-white, and Matt soon discovers that the notion of who is guilty is very complicated indeed.
National Book Award Finalist Patricia McCormick has written a visceral and compelling portrait of life in a war zone, where loyalty is valued above all, and death is terrifyingly commonplace.
208 pages, Library Binding
First published August 18, 2009
122 people are currently reading
2860 people want to read
About the author
Patricia McCormick
20 books837 followersPatricia McCormick is a journalist and writer. She graduated from Rosemont College in 1978, followed by an M.S. from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in 1986 and an M.F.A. from New School University in 1999. Her first novel for teens was Cut, about a young woman who self-injures herself. This was followed by My Brother's Keeper in 2005, about a boy struggling with his brother's addiction and Sold in 2006. Her awards include the American Library Association Best Book of the Year, New York Public Library Best Book for the Teenage, and the Children's Literature Council's Choice.
She has written for The New York Times, Parents magazine, The New York Times Book Review, Ladies Home Journal, Town & Country, More, Reader's Digest, Mademoiselle, and other publications and has been an adjunct professor of journalism at Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and an instructor of creative writing at the New School University. She lives in New York with two children, a husband, and two cats.
She has written for The New York Times, Parents magazine, The New York Times Book Review, Ladies Home Journal, Town & Country, More, Reader's Digest, Mademoiselle, and other publications and has been an adjunct professor of journalism at Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and an instructor of creative writing at the New School University. She lives in New York with two children, a husband, and two cats.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 495 reviews
April 11, 2011
3.5 stars
18-year old soldier Matt Duffy wakes up in an army hospital in Baghdad. His memories of the events leading up to his hospitalization are spotty at best, he is suffering from TBI - traumatic brain injury. Matt is told that an RPG exploded next to him while he and his partner were pursuing a suspicious vehicle down a dark alley. But private Duffy feels that that is not all. His dreams are filled with the images of a 10-year old Iraqi boy shot through the chest. Matt starts to think he might have killed the child in a frenzy of crossfire and just doesn't remember it...
Although Purple Heart is a tiny book, Patricia McCormick manages to cover a lot of ground in it. Without being judgmental and not trying to obviously push her political agenda, the author talks truthfully about what comes with the glory of serving one's country. She describes the ambiguous relationships between Iraqi people and American soldiers, the emotional traumas military men experience daily, the disconnect soldiers feel with the real world and their families, the disregard of army officials of serious psychological issues soldiers go through, the need to sweep indiscretions and even crimes under the rug during war time. Purple Heart is a complex and truthful picture of military service.
However if you follow current events at least superficially, this books doesn't really offer anything that you haven't already seen in news coverage or even movies like "The Hurt Locker." I think the novel would be of more interest to the readers unaware of what goes on in the world and Iraq specifically.
Night Owl Reviews
18-year old soldier Matt Duffy wakes up in an army hospital in Baghdad. His memories of the events leading up to his hospitalization are spotty at best, he is suffering from TBI - traumatic brain injury. Matt is told that an RPG exploded next to him while he and his partner were pursuing a suspicious vehicle down a dark alley. But private Duffy feels that that is not all. His dreams are filled with the images of a 10-year old Iraqi boy shot through the chest. Matt starts to think he might have killed the child in a frenzy of crossfire and just doesn't remember it...
Although Purple Heart is a tiny book, Patricia McCormick manages to cover a lot of ground in it. Without being judgmental and not trying to obviously push her political agenda, the author talks truthfully about what comes with the glory of serving one's country. She describes the ambiguous relationships between Iraqi people and American soldiers, the emotional traumas military men experience daily, the disconnect soldiers feel with the real world and their families, the disregard of army officials of serious psychological issues soldiers go through, the need to sweep indiscretions and even crimes under the rug during war time. Purple Heart is a complex and truthful picture of military service.
However if you follow current events at least superficially, this books doesn't really offer anything that you haven't already seen in news coverage or even movies like "The Hurt Locker." I think the novel would be of more interest to the readers unaware of what goes on in the world and Iraq specifically.
Night Owl Reviews
April 28, 2011
Matt can’t remember. Not how he arrived in the army hospital. Or what year it is. Or who won the world series.
Though he misses his unit. He knows he’s in Iraq. He knows he wants to get back to Wolf and Justin and Charlene. He knows he’s a soldier.
But he doesn’t know why the army’s giving him a purple heart. Or why they won’t really ask him questions about what happened in the alley. With the dog with the broken tail. And the kid that floated-up, up, until all Matt could see was his sneakers.
Maybe all that’s his imagination—a symptom of the “traumatic brain injury” or of winding up on the business end of an RPG.
Or maybe his brain just can’t handle . . . whatever he did . . . in that alley.
I’m definitely a Patricia McCormick fan. None of her books are light carefree reads, but I always leave them feeling satisfied, like I’ve learned something. And like maybe I’m a better person for the read. Pretty heady, amazing stuff.
Though he misses his unit. He knows he’s in Iraq. He knows he wants to get back to Wolf and Justin and Charlene. He knows he’s a soldier.
But he doesn’t know why the army’s giving him a purple heart. Or why they won’t really ask him questions about what happened in the alley. With the dog with the broken tail. And the kid that floated-up, up, until all Matt could see was his sneakers.
Maybe all that’s his imagination—a symptom of the “traumatic brain injury” or of winding up on the business end of an RPG.
Or maybe his brain just can’t handle . . . whatever he did . . . in that alley.
I’m definitely a Patricia McCormick fan. None of her books are light carefree reads, but I always leave them feeling satisfied, like I’ve learned something. And like maybe I’m a better person for the read. Pretty heady, amazing stuff.
May 7, 2018
Title: Purple Heart
(Realistic ¨Fiction¨)
Author: Patricia McCormick
This is a suspenseful psychological thriller, 18 year old Matt Duffy, a private with memory problems, with a traumatic brain injury. He, receives the Purple Heart in Iraq. Strong characters all throughout the book with very strong chapters and giving good visuals of what is going on in detail and good drama. As Matt remembers more and more, tension builds and he becomes confused about interpretations of the truth. The author raises moral questions almost in every chapter and even without judgment and will have readers examining not only this conflict but the nature of heroism and war and sometimes it gets you up on your toes and is very stressful because you just want to get to the important parts and find out. Overall this book was amazing and just had so much to it, I loved how it went into detail and how it had a real story to it and how the author put it together and made it so suspenseful.
The fact that he still doesn’t know exactly what happened on that day when getting hit by a rocket propelled grenade. Like what did he do, Did he run, Did he hide, Did he cover behind something? I wanted to learn more about what it’s like on the ground in Iraq and it left out a little more information than I thought it would, but saying that this book gave so many visuals and great details but it left out somethings and I still questioned a few things and it never explained as much as I wanted it too when saying something happened it gave a viusal but no reasoning to it.
A saying from Matt Duffy that stood out to me throughout the book that could connect with others that have been in war.
Matt Duffy- “This is what war is all about. It wasn't about fighting the enemy. It wasn't about politics or oil or even about terrorists. It was about your buddies, it was about fighting for the guy next to you. And knowing he was fighting for you."
That quote stood out so much to me because it can be true for so many people that can relate and throughout the book you can tell that those words in that quote are shown through the story.
Very interesting book, I really do like this book and i'd give it a 4/5 purple hearts. In reality this book can relate to others or even just to learn about another person's life and how they went through it from their perspective. When in war the people you are with is someone you look up to and watch their back because that's all you have at that moment and you depend on them this is why the quote I took from the book means so much about these kinds of stories.
(Realistic ¨Fiction¨)
Author: Patricia McCormick
This is a suspenseful psychological thriller, 18 year old Matt Duffy, a private with memory problems, with a traumatic brain injury. He, receives the Purple Heart in Iraq. Strong characters all throughout the book with very strong chapters and giving good visuals of what is going on in detail and good drama. As Matt remembers more and more, tension builds and he becomes confused about interpretations of the truth. The author raises moral questions almost in every chapter and even without judgment and will have readers examining not only this conflict but the nature of heroism and war and sometimes it gets you up on your toes and is very stressful because you just want to get to the important parts and find out. Overall this book was amazing and just had so much to it, I loved how it went into detail and how it had a real story to it and how the author put it together and made it so suspenseful.
The fact that he still doesn’t know exactly what happened on that day when getting hit by a rocket propelled grenade. Like what did he do, Did he run, Did he hide, Did he cover behind something? I wanted to learn more about what it’s like on the ground in Iraq and it left out a little more information than I thought it would, but saying that this book gave so many visuals and great details but it left out somethings and I still questioned a few things and it never explained as much as I wanted it too when saying something happened it gave a viusal but no reasoning to it.
A saying from Matt Duffy that stood out to me throughout the book that could connect with others that have been in war.
Matt Duffy- “This is what war is all about. It wasn't about fighting the enemy. It wasn't about politics or oil or even about terrorists. It was about your buddies, it was about fighting for the guy next to you. And knowing he was fighting for you."
That quote stood out so much to me because it can be true for so many people that can relate and throughout the book you can tell that those words in that quote are shown through the story.
Very interesting book, I really do like this book and i'd give it a 4/5 purple hearts. In reality this book can relate to others or even just to learn about another person's life and how they went through it from their perspective. When in war the people you are with is someone you look up to and watch their back because that's all you have at that moment and you depend on them this is why the quote I took from the book means so much about these kinds of stories.
June 13, 2011
Audible Review
2 stars. I know. I just didn't connect with Purple Heart. I was waiting for that emotional connection one disc after another but it failed to evoke any strong emotions from me. I still could not pin point as to what made this experience just two-dimensional and forgettable. The narrator was just okay, his voice rather too mature for an 18-year old teenager. Perhaps that's a factor, perhaps not. It was just lackluster IMO.
Purple Heart starts with Private Matt Duffy, an 18-year old soldier, in the infirmary suffering from a traumatic brain injury after an RPG exploded next to him during an encounter with Iraqi insurgents in Baghdad with his mate, Justin. Matt finds himself having retrograde amnesia and mood swings due to his brain injury, not fully recalling what happened in the alley after they ran after the insurgents. As days go by and Matt begins to heal, Matt begins to remember fragments of that horrible day in the alley but eventually realizes that they are different from Justin's account of that eventful day. And he fears that the death of a young Iraqi boy, Ali, was his doing.
This book gives us a good insight of American soldiers' lives in Iraq and the friendships they develop with their comrades who become brothers and sisters to them. It also gives us a glimpse of the possible dangers innocent friendships made with the Iraqi people could pose. Something so innocent could turn into something so deadly especially in a place where enemies hide behind children and women. Likewise, we see how our American soldiers are tested time and time again from all the killing and the deaths of their comrades they feel responsible for or mourn. It's no wonder many of them come out of this war (or any war) with post traumatic stress disorder and are haunted all their lives by the atrocities of war. Matt is no exception. And the only reason why Matt joined the army in the first place was so he could start helping with the expenses at home early and hopefully get his younger sister a chance to go to college.
The ending IMO was predictable. I wished more from Matt's characterization. I should feel more for him but despite the challenges and inner turmoil he goes through, none of that seem to transcend through pages for me. When my heart should be breaking and my tear ducts emptying, they didn't. This book failed to melt my heart of Tin unfortunately. Perhaps a re-read will result to more stars.
2 stars. I know. I just didn't connect with Purple Heart. I was waiting for that emotional connection one disc after another but it failed to evoke any strong emotions from me. I still could not pin point as to what made this experience just two-dimensional and forgettable. The narrator was just okay, his voice rather too mature for an 18-year old teenager. Perhaps that's a factor, perhaps not. It was just lackluster IMO.
Purple Heart starts with Private Matt Duffy, an 18-year old soldier, in the infirmary suffering from a traumatic brain injury after an RPG exploded next to him during an encounter with Iraqi insurgents in Baghdad with his mate, Justin. Matt finds himself having retrograde amnesia and mood swings due to his brain injury, not fully recalling what happened in the alley after they ran after the insurgents. As days go by and Matt begins to heal, Matt begins to remember fragments of that horrible day in the alley but eventually realizes that they are different from Justin's account of that eventful day. And he fears that the death of a young Iraqi boy, Ali, was his doing.
This book gives us a good insight of American soldiers' lives in Iraq and the friendships they develop with their comrades who become brothers and sisters to them. It also gives us a glimpse of the possible dangers innocent friendships made with the Iraqi people could pose. Something so innocent could turn into something so deadly especially in a place where enemies hide behind children and women. Likewise, we see how our American soldiers are tested time and time again from all the killing and the deaths of their comrades they feel responsible for or mourn. It's no wonder many of them come out of this war (or any war) with post traumatic stress disorder and are haunted all their lives by the atrocities of war. Matt is no exception. And the only reason why Matt joined the army in the first place was so he could start helping with the expenses at home early and hopefully get his younger sister a chance to go to college.
The ending IMO was predictable. I wished more from Matt's characterization. I should feel more for him but despite the challenges and inner turmoil he goes through, none of that seem to transcend through pages for me. When my heart should be breaking and my tear ducts emptying, they didn't. This book failed to melt my heart of Tin unfortunately. Perhaps a re-read will result to more stars.
April 26, 2012
3.5 Stars
The brain does some funny things to help protect us. Frustrating, but necessary. Some memories stay with us while others fade and disappear. The idea and science behind it never fails to frustrate and fascinate me. Should some things be forgotten?
Purple Heart by Patricia McCormick jumps right in! Readers are introduced to an injured, groggy, and confused Private Matt Duffy in a hospital bed in Baghdad. He is suffering from traumatic brain injury (TBI), so only hazy dreams and flashes remain of an incident in which he was injured and a young Iraqi boy was killed. Surrounded by uncertainties and strangers, Matt must try to piece together the puzzle of the day and his actions. I could feel Matt’s frustration, fear, and guilt on every page. It’s so frustrating stretching for a memory just out of reach--like trying to remember a dream. Matt’s need to remember pushes this story along with the right mix of mystery, suspense, humor, and sadness.
I liked Matt instantly. By weaving together family memories about home and stories from his squad in Iraq, readers start to identify with Matt and his situation. You can feel his heart and emotion in his voice while talking to his sister and tears from the tenderness people show him in the hospital. I felt very protective of Matt. I wanted him to feel safe.
Instead he is bombarded with paranoia, back talk and military jargon. Matt has to rely on his best friend and fellow soldier, Justin, to fill in the blanks and details of what happened when he was on the “business end of an RPG”. But who can he really trust when everyone seems to be following a whole new meaning to the “don’t ask, don’t tell”--I don’t want the trouble attitude. No one wants the truth.
“I hear a lot of things in this office, she said carefully. And I forget a lot of what I hear. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
Ms. McCormick paints a realistic portrait of a soldier’s life and environment in Iraq filled with dust, sand, suffocating heat, tension, and cocky attitudes. Readers will giggle and cringe at the crude talk, jokes and actions of the squad. I will never understand the “mother” jokes. **shakes head**…Boys! These young soldiers have to witness and perform such horrendous and painful orders, but who can they talk to about what may or may not have gone wrong? Stories from home about bio tests and dances feel so afar away from the streets they walk every day with possible threats and danger around every corner. What soldiers have to see, do, and forget will break your heart. I honestly can’t comprehend how soldiers can process and keep moving. Do they ever really heal and move on?
This story captivated me all the way until the end. I mean the last page! The last image! The ending was just that though an image or snapshot that did not fit Matt’s voice or tone of the story for me. Those final images did not resonate with me at all. :( Still a very strong and powerful read though. I think every young reader should meet Matt.
I will remember Matt's story.
The brain does some funny things to help protect us. Frustrating, but necessary. Some memories stay with us while others fade and disappear. The idea and science behind it never fails to frustrate and fascinate me. Should some things be forgotten?
Purple Heart by Patricia McCormick jumps right in! Readers are introduced to an injured, groggy, and confused Private Matt Duffy in a hospital bed in Baghdad. He is suffering from traumatic brain injury (TBI), so only hazy dreams and flashes remain of an incident in which he was injured and a young Iraqi boy was killed. Surrounded by uncertainties and strangers, Matt must try to piece together the puzzle of the day and his actions. I could feel Matt’s frustration, fear, and guilt on every page. It’s so frustrating stretching for a memory just out of reach--like trying to remember a dream. Matt’s need to remember pushes this story along with the right mix of mystery, suspense, humor, and sadness.
I liked Matt instantly. By weaving together family memories about home and stories from his squad in Iraq, readers start to identify with Matt and his situation. You can feel his heart and emotion in his voice while talking to his sister and tears from the tenderness people show him in the hospital. I felt very protective of Matt. I wanted him to feel safe.
Instead he is bombarded with paranoia, back talk and military jargon. Matt has to rely on his best friend and fellow soldier, Justin, to fill in the blanks and details of what happened when he was on the “business end of an RPG”. But who can he really trust when everyone seems to be following a whole new meaning to the “don’t ask, don’t tell”--I don’t want the trouble attitude. No one wants the truth.
“I hear a lot of things in this office, she said carefully. And I forget a lot of what I hear. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
Ms. McCormick paints a realistic portrait of a soldier’s life and environment in Iraq filled with dust, sand, suffocating heat, tension, and cocky attitudes. Readers will giggle and cringe at the crude talk, jokes and actions of the squad. I will never understand the “mother” jokes. **shakes head**…Boys! These young soldiers have to witness and perform such horrendous and painful orders, but who can they talk to about what may or may not have gone wrong? Stories from home about bio tests and dances feel so afar away from the streets they walk every day with possible threats and danger around every corner. What soldiers have to see, do, and forget will break your heart. I honestly can’t comprehend how soldiers can process and keep moving. Do they ever really heal and move on?
This story captivated me all the way until the end. I mean the last page! The last image! The ending was just that though an image or snapshot that did not fit Matt’s voice or tone of the story for me. Those final images did not resonate with me at all. :( Still a very strong and powerful read though. I think every young reader should meet Matt.
I will remember Matt's story.
November 29, 2010
From an adults perspective the story is weak in most parts, but it's not fair to be too critical of a YA novel, especially one that does give them some perspective of this war. Children who are turning 18 and eligible to join the military were 9 when this this political situation began. I work as a YA librarian and had a 12 year old ask me "what does 9-11 mean?"... :0 ... This was in reference to 9/11/01. It was in fact on 9/11/10 that I was asked. Kids live blindly in their world of Team Edward vs. the other guy. The events leading to the current wars are like the falling of the Berlin wall to myself. Now I recognize the importance, but I was barely familiar with the concept when I was 12.
Novels are greatly important to the introduction to the adult world and adult situations. I feel like they give young readers the chance to digest some of the heavier concepts on their own level before they are blindsided. I highly recommend this book for any young reader who is ready to attempt these lessons. As for myself, I appreciate any attempt to make the lives of our soldiers more real.
Novels are greatly important to the introduction to the adult world and adult situations. I feel like they give young readers the chance to digest some of the heavier concepts on their own level before they are blindsided. I highly recommend this book for any young reader who is ready to attempt these lessons. As for myself, I appreciate any attempt to make the lives of our soldiers more real.
March 22, 2018
The main message of this book, and the theories and memories Matt (main character) portrays is amazing, and with each example or scenario has a message that links later in the book. Think of it as connect the dots. Generally, this book (in my opinion) is sad, mystery----ish, and suspenseful. It makes you think of each character in the book individually and personally, even if you dont know the character fully. At the end of the book, it REALLY makes you think of characters and pages you read in the beginning of the book. However, for some reason I did not enjoy Matt. Even being the main character, there was this little spark of him that made me not like him as much as I wanted to. Which made the book harder to read. I feel it was the actions and thoughts he had while figuring out the problem....
But everyone has different opinions of characters; kinda like To Kill a Mockingbird. Different characters and different emotions make me either dislike or like a character more. Anyways, I encourage everyone to read this book if you like historical fiction with a little bit of suspense...
But everyone has different opinions of characters; kinda like To Kill a Mockingbird. Different characters and different emotions make me either dislike or like a character more. Anyways, I encourage everyone to read this book if you like historical fiction with a little bit of suspense...
September 6, 2018
Purple Heart is about Matt Duffy, an eighteen year old soldier in the Iraq war. Injured and in the hospital, Matt can't help thinking that he killed someone, an Iraqi street kid he knew. As he fights to remember the incident while battling a head injury, something just doesn't seem right about the whole affair.
I really have to say, I was not as much of a fan as I had hoped to be. The beginning hospital scenes seemed to drag on too long; they had no action and were really just kind of flat. There also didn't seem to be any character development.
Though the climax and the lead-up to the discovery of the truth was supposed to be shocking and suspenseful, I really didn't feel much. That part of the story seemed to come a little too quickly, and then the ending, too, was also really flat.
I am giving this book two stars simply because I try not to give anything one star if I end up reading it from cover to cover. However, the lowest I usually give has been three, so in that aspect, I really did not enjoy the writing of this novel.
I also truly believe that it would have been marked as children's if not for all the swearing. It does not compare to any other war novels I have read, and it's really short and mostly irrelevant.
I really have to say, I was not as much of a fan as I had hoped to be. The beginning hospital scenes seemed to drag on too long; they had no action and were really just kind of flat. There also didn't seem to be any character development.
Though the climax and the lead-up to the discovery of the truth was supposed to be shocking and suspenseful, I really didn't feel much. That part of the story seemed to come a little too quickly, and then the ending, too, was also really flat.
I am giving this book two stars simply because I try not to give anything one star if I end up reading it from cover to cover. However, the lowest I usually give has been three, so in that aspect, I really did not enjoy the writing of this novel.
I also truly believe that it would have been marked as children's if not for all the swearing. It does not compare to any other war novels I have read, and it's really short and mostly irrelevant.
November 17, 2012
Reviewed by Sally Kruger aka "Readingjunky" for TeensReadToo.com
Going to war wasn't a first choice for Matt Duffy, but it seemed like the most sensible. He hadn't done that great in school, so college for him didn't really make sense. On the other hand, his little sister was a good student, and joining the Army would provide the necessary funds to send her to college when the time came.
Whatever his reason for joining up, Matt found himself in the middle of Iraq doing the patriotic thing for his country. Even though they warned the young soldiers during basic training, he was surprised by the heat, the noise, and the people. There were slow days with routine missions; welcome days after some of the scary attacks Matt had witnessed. Recently, they'd lost their squad leader, a fellow named Benson.
Amazing that this fact is one of the few things Matt can remember as he wakes up and finds himself in a hospital, answering questions from a man in scrubs standing at the foot of his bed.
When Matt begins to ask questions of his own, he learns that when he and his partner, Justin, followed an insurgent into a dead-end alley, there was an explosion and he suffered a TBI (traumatic brain injury). With the exception of a weakened right leg, everything else seems to be in working order. Doctors are prescribing rest and saying he'll be back with his unit in no time.
With time to think, Matt is trying to remember just exactly what happened. As events of the attack begin to come back to him, he realizes he may have been responsible for something terrible. How can he bring back the memories - and does he really want to remember?
Patricia McCormick shares the life of an American soldier in Iraq. YA novels dealing with the Iraq War are beginning to appear on bookstore shelves, and PURPLE HEART offers readers a chance to experience the war through the eyes of a young soldier trying to make sense of why he is fighting and whose lives he is effecting in this controversial war.
McCormick reveals not only the point-of-view and mindset of American troops, but also a glimpse of the life of the regular Iraqi citizen trying to cope in a country at war. Teens thinking about military service, teens that have family and friends stationed in Iraq, or teens just curious about the distant place they hear about on the news will all benefit from and appreciate the service and story of Matt Duffy.
Going to war wasn't a first choice for Matt Duffy, but it seemed like the most sensible. He hadn't done that great in school, so college for him didn't really make sense. On the other hand, his little sister was a good student, and joining the Army would provide the necessary funds to send her to college when the time came.
Whatever his reason for joining up, Matt found himself in the middle of Iraq doing the patriotic thing for his country. Even though they warned the young soldiers during basic training, he was surprised by the heat, the noise, and the people. There were slow days with routine missions; welcome days after some of the scary attacks Matt had witnessed. Recently, they'd lost their squad leader, a fellow named Benson.
Amazing that this fact is one of the few things Matt can remember as he wakes up and finds himself in a hospital, answering questions from a man in scrubs standing at the foot of his bed.
When Matt begins to ask questions of his own, he learns that when he and his partner, Justin, followed an insurgent into a dead-end alley, there was an explosion and he suffered a TBI (traumatic brain injury). With the exception of a weakened right leg, everything else seems to be in working order. Doctors are prescribing rest and saying he'll be back with his unit in no time.
With time to think, Matt is trying to remember just exactly what happened. As events of the attack begin to come back to him, he realizes he may have been responsible for something terrible. How can he bring back the memories - and does he really want to remember?
Patricia McCormick shares the life of an American soldier in Iraq. YA novels dealing with the Iraq War are beginning to appear on bookstore shelves, and PURPLE HEART offers readers a chance to experience the war through the eyes of a young soldier trying to make sense of why he is fighting and whose lives he is effecting in this controversial war.
McCormick reveals not only the point-of-view and mindset of American troops, but also a glimpse of the life of the regular Iraqi citizen trying to cope in a country at war. Teens thinking about military service, teens that have family and friends stationed in Iraq, or teens just curious about the distant place they hear about on the news will all benefit from and appreciate the service and story of Matt Duffy.
June 15, 2010
I don't like reading books about war, but I feel it's my social responsibilty to try and understand what young men and women go through in these situations. I am glad I read Purple Heart and have come to appreciate the service that Matt Duffy, an 18-year-old young man fighting in Iraq has given our country. Matt is in a Baghdad hospital t recovering from a traumatic brain injury, trying to recall the details and make sense of what happened. Where did the attack come from? Did he really shoot and kill young Ali, a 10-year-old Iraqi boy? Why can't he remember common words, will the severe headaches ever stop? Will he ever be able to walk without dragging his right leg? Through Matt's experience, we see the frustration of dealing with the military procedures, how they are bent and shaped to accomodate differences of opinion and authority.
My heart goes out to young men and women who serve in this way. It also helps me keep in perspective my own small ills and complaints. Patricia McCormick is an author that is able to capture incredible sense of reality and of "being there".
My heart goes out to young men and women who serve in this way. It also helps me keep in perspective my own small ills and complaints. Patricia McCormick is an author that is able to capture incredible sense of reality and of "being there".
March 20, 2018
Goodreads Book Review
Purple Heart was a thrilling book that kept me interested and on the edge of my seat wanting to know what happened.
It’s a fictional book that begins with Private Duffy, a loyal soldier, who is injured in duty and makes the long road to recovery by relearning how to walk and think; all while piecing together the leftover shreds of his memories.
I enjoyed taking a walk with Private Duffy down his road of self discovery. At first he had trouble, “... bits and pieces were coming back to him, things that made no sense” (42). He fell into a whirlwind of guilt, convinced he had something to do with the death of his Iraqi friend, Ali. “He took a deep breath, then spoke so quietly, he wasn’t sure he’d said it out loud. ‘[Duffy] think [he] killed him.’ “ (71). He felt awful, he couldn’t figure out what happened. The only thing that kept him going was, “... the idea of getting back to his buddies” (126). But when he was finally cleared, he didn’t feel quite right. He went to a holy place, searching for grace. He pulled out his purple heart, the one he thought he didn’t deserve, “... [and] without a word, [he handed it] to the priest. He hadn’t planned on this, but it felt right” (134). He eventually overcame his demons, and uncovered the truth of what really happened before that RPG exploded.
I loved this book, the thought and fears so intricately woven into a meer one hundred and ninety nine pages was astounding. I would recommend this book to anyone with the need for some nostalgia, someone who faced tough situations but overcame them. Nine out of ten would read again.
Purple Heart was a thrilling book that kept me interested and on the edge of my seat wanting to know what happened.
It’s a fictional book that begins with Private Duffy, a loyal soldier, who is injured in duty and makes the long road to recovery by relearning how to walk and think; all while piecing together the leftover shreds of his memories.
I enjoyed taking a walk with Private Duffy down his road of self discovery. At first he had trouble, “... bits and pieces were coming back to him, things that made no sense” (42). He fell into a whirlwind of guilt, convinced he had something to do with the death of his Iraqi friend, Ali. “He took a deep breath, then spoke so quietly, he wasn’t sure he’d said it out loud. ‘[Duffy] think [he] killed him.’ “ (71). He felt awful, he couldn’t figure out what happened. The only thing that kept him going was, “... the idea of getting back to his buddies” (126). But when he was finally cleared, he didn’t feel quite right. He went to a holy place, searching for grace. He pulled out his purple heart, the one he thought he didn’t deserve, “... [and] without a word, [he handed it] to the priest. He hadn’t planned on this, but it felt right” (134). He eventually overcame his demons, and uncovered the truth of what really happened before that RPG exploded.
I loved this book, the thought and fears so intricately woven into a meer one hundred and ninety nine pages was astounding. I would recommend this book to anyone with the need for some nostalgia, someone who faced tough situations but overcame them. Nine out of ten would read again.
July 8, 2018
What was it like to fight in Operation Iraqi Freedom? What was the relationship between the US soldiers and the Iraqi civilians? How do our soldiers process what they have seen and done in war? Patricia McCormick does an admirable job of approaching these questions for younger adolescents.
I recommend this book to students in eighth grade or above if they are interested in military life. The soldiers in this book are generally well-intentioned. They are loyal to each other and have a sense of duty and commitment to the mission. However, they are also uncertain about how the mission will affect the Iraqi people and whether it is possible to bridge the two cultures. Furthermore, the military brass is uninterested in hearing anything inconvenient about the consequences of the fighting.
There is a noticeable Catholic element to the book. The protagonist struggles with the concepts of guilt and confession. It adds urgency to the story.
There are potentially offensive elements. The soldiers use profanity and make crude comments about women. They tease each other with gay stereotypes. I think these elements belong here as part of realism, but I wish that McCormick would unpack them a bit more by having characters remark on them or reflect about them. The frequent references to "Don't ask, don't tell" will be lost on today's teenagers, and it should be explained in a footnote or something.
This book is a hard PG13. Some would say R based on the f-words alone. Recommended for age 14 and up. McCormick does her research and writes effectively. I would like to read more of her work.
I recommend this book to students in eighth grade or above if they are interested in military life. The soldiers in this book are generally well-intentioned. They are loyal to each other and have a sense of duty and commitment to the mission. However, they are also uncertain about how the mission will affect the Iraqi people and whether it is possible to bridge the two cultures. Furthermore, the military brass is uninterested in hearing anything inconvenient about the consequences of the fighting.
There is a noticeable Catholic element to the book. The protagonist struggles with the concepts of guilt and confession. It adds urgency to the story.
There are potentially offensive elements. The soldiers use profanity and make crude comments about women. They tease each other with gay stereotypes. I think these elements belong here as part of realism, but I wish that McCormick would unpack them a bit more by having characters remark on them or reflect about them. The frequent references to "Don't ask, don't tell" will be lost on today's teenagers, and it should be explained in a footnote or something.
This book is a hard PG13. Some would say R based on the f-words alone. Recommended for age 14 and up. McCormick does her research and writes effectively. I would like to read more of her work.
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March 13, 2019Purple Heart by Patricia McCormick
This book is about a man named Matt Duffey who was struck by an RPG, and slowly recovers while he gains back memory little by little. The he can have his memory back as fast as he is is because of Dr. Meagan. He has trouble saying words and also taking in new data. The first thing he remembers is a kid in an ally way digging through debris. The question is what does this kid do or does he do anything?
I would highly recommend this book to all high schoolers and up. The reason I put it so high of level is because some of the vocabulary is pretty hard (I had to look some words up). Another reason is because it has a hard transition from him daydreaming, to just dreaming, to normal day. This book is a very good book. Everyone should read this book.
This book is about a man named Matt Duffey who was struck by an RPG, and slowly recovers while he gains back memory little by little. The he can have his memory back as fast as he is is because of Dr. Meagan. He has trouble saying words and also taking in new data. The first thing he remembers is a kid in an ally way digging through debris. The question is what does this kid do or does he do anything?
I would highly recommend this book to all high schoolers and up. The reason I put it so high of level is because some of the vocabulary is pretty hard (I had to look some words up). Another reason is because it has a hard transition from him daydreaming, to just dreaming, to normal day. This book is a very good book. Everyone should read this book.
September 11, 2022
thank god im done with this book
May 23, 2015
"He reached over and took hold of the front of Matt's hospital gown as if he were grabbing hold of him by the straps of his vest. Then he let go and patted Matt on the cheek. 'You were lucky, man.'
'There was a dog,' Matt said.
Justin frowned. 'What?'
'Dog,' said Matt. 'There was a dog.'
Justin drew back slightly. 'Dude, I have no idea what the fuck you're talking about.'
'He was near the... you know, when you throw stuff away..." It was maddening. He couldn't remember the word.
Justin looked away, scanning the room.
'The dog!' Matt punched the mattress with his fist. 'He had a broken tail.'
Justin stood up. He seemed to be gesturing for someone.
Matt jerked his head to the side, to see who Justin was calling for. A bolt of pain shot through his skull. He clenched his head and cried out in agony."
Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful book! Absolutely beautiful.
Purple Heart was a moving book, one that made my day. I love many books, but military books are always a favorite of mine to read. It gives me sanity, and understanding. A reality check, it gives me.
Private Matt Duffy was on the business end of an RPG in Iraq, when he was hit and went flying. He awakes in an army hospital, he is diagnosed with TBI, traumatic brain injury.
Matt is awarded with the medal of the Purple Heart, but he feels like he does not deserve the medal. He is just confused. And he wants to get back with his army men.
While recovering from his brain rattling injury, and while struggling to remember simple things, Matt has a haunting memory that keeps coming back to him. A little innocent Iraqi boy that Matt knew, getting shot and picked up off of his feet, bullet hole in his chest. That's what he remembers right before getting hit by the blast. This memory sticks with him, and it chills him to the core every time he thinks about it.
Soon, though, Matt is sent back to work with his army squad. He is reunited with his friends, but he can't help but notice that everyone has changed a little since the time he was hurt. Something has changed inside Matt too, and he thinks it has to do more with the injury.
Purple Heart was absolutely moving to me. It brought tears springing to the corners of my eyes by the end of the book. Everything about this book is perfect. Simple, but perfect in every way.
This is one of those stories that gives you a taste of reality. It gives you an idea of what exactly men and women fighting for our country have to go through every day. It is not lollipops and sunshine out at war. There are more things to fear than say a biology quiz. It is life and death out there, and things really are serious. Patricia McCormick captures this idea very well, or at least what I would think would be very well; I'm no veteran, but I respect veterans deeply.
I felt Matt's pain. I felt it from page one until the end. I felt tugged and confused and hurt when reading, which was going through him the whole time. Matt meets people who really change him, and people come and people go, and it is up to him to keep moving on.
This book gives me an idea of what really is loyalty and trust. A real friend will protect your back, and they will rely on you to protect theirs.
The cover of this book is gorgeous. It is simple, but the silhouettes really capture the tone of the book. Whenever Matt refers back to the Iraqi boys playing soccer, I stop reading for a moment to look at the cover and reflect for a moment.
After reading Purple Heart I put on one of my favorite bands, and it makes me think about the book. If you've never listened to Sleeping At Last, I'd recommend listening to them. You might even cry after reading this book if you're sensitive. It is just beautiful.
My final thoughts? Oh, I could use a million words, using a brilliant word of the day, like Justin does throughout the book (It made me smile and crack up a little, with the words he came up with). But one word just keeps repeating and echoing through my skull.
Beautiful.
Beautiful.
Beautiful.
"All around him people were screaming. Things were burning. A fine gray ash was falling, like snow. While Matt burrowed his face into her shoulder and wept."
'There was a dog,' Matt said.
Justin frowned. 'What?'
'Dog,' said Matt. 'There was a dog.'
Justin drew back slightly. 'Dude, I have no idea what the fuck you're talking about.'
'He was near the... you know, when you throw stuff away..." It was maddening. He couldn't remember the word.
Justin looked away, scanning the room.
'The dog!' Matt punched the mattress with his fist. 'He had a broken tail.'
Justin stood up. He seemed to be gesturing for someone.
Matt jerked his head to the side, to see who Justin was calling for. A bolt of pain shot through his skull. He clenched his head and cried out in agony."
Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful book! Absolutely beautiful.
Purple Heart was a moving book, one that made my day. I love many books, but military books are always a favorite of mine to read. It gives me sanity, and understanding. A reality check, it gives me.
Private Matt Duffy was on the business end of an RPG in Iraq, when he was hit and went flying. He awakes in an army hospital, he is diagnosed with TBI, traumatic brain injury.
Matt is awarded with the medal of the Purple Heart, but he feels like he does not deserve the medal. He is just confused. And he wants to get back with his army men.
While recovering from his brain rattling injury, and while struggling to remember simple things, Matt has a haunting memory that keeps coming back to him. A little innocent Iraqi boy that Matt knew, getting shot and picked up off of his feet, bullet hole in his chest. That's what he remembers right before getting hit by the blast. This memory sticks with him, and it chills him to the core every time he thinks about it.
Soon, though, Matt is sent back to work with his army squad. He is reunited with his friends, but he can't help but notice that everyone has changed a little since the time he was hurt. Something has changed inside Matt too, and he thinks it has to do more with the injury.
Purple Heart was absolutely moving to me. It brought tears springing to the corners of my eyes by the end of the book. Everything about this book is perfect. Simple, but perfect in every way.
This is one of those stories that gives you a taste of reality. It gives you an idea of what exactly men and women fighting for our country have to go through every day. It is not lollipops and sunshine out at war. There are more things to fear than say a biology quiz. It is life and death out there, and things really are serious. Patricia McCormick captures this idea very well, or at least what I would think would be very well; I'm no veteran, but I respect veterans deeply.
I felt Matt's pain. I felt it from page one until the end. I felt tugged and confused and hurt when reading, which was going through him the whole time. Matt meets people who really change him, and people come and people go, and it is up to him to keep moving on.
This book gives me an idea of what really is loyalty and trust. A real friend will protect your back, and they will rely on you to protect theirs.
The cover of this book is gorgeous. It is simple, but the silhouettes really capture the tone of the book. Whenever Matt refers back to the Iraqi boys playing soccer, I stop reading for a moment to look at the cover and reflect for a moment.
After reading Purple Heart I put on one of my favorite bands, and it makes me think about the book. If you've never listened to Sleeping At Last, I'd recommend listening to them. You might even cry after reading this book if you're sensitive. It is just beautiful.
My final thoughts? Oh, I could use a million words, using a brilliant word of the day, like Justin does throughout the book (It made me smile and crack up a little, with the words he came up with). But one word just keeps repeating and echoing through my skull.
Beautiful.
Beautiful.
Beautiful.
"All around him people were screaming. Things were burning. A fine gray ash was falling, like snow. While Matt burrowed his face into her shoulder and wept."
March 20, 2018
How would you honor your veterans, especially when they go through so many problems just to keep us safe? This book has been rated a 4 out of 5 stars. Patricia McCormick did an amazing job of portraying everything that each veteran was going through. The imagery throughout the entire book was presented clearly and nicely. For some parts, it felt like I was part of the book and in the war. I liked the book for many reasons, but one reason was how the book started. It started off with suspense, due to what the main character was going through. In my opinion, one thing I didn’t like was how some parts didn’t connect to the real world or different individuals. "Purple Heart" would be a perfect book for people who like the military and who enjoy suspenseful plots. This book can interest a wide variety of people who also want to go into the military and fight for their country. Patricia McCormick includes the effects warfare has on the characters, which can make you think and really feel appreciate what our veterans do for us.
March 20, 2012
My Thoughts:
A Middle School Librarian asked me to preview this book before putting it on the shelf for her students. Purple Heart is a book I would have totally judged by it's cover and passed it over. I don't normally seek out books about war. I'm so very glad I had the opportunity to read Purple Heart and experience Patricia McCormick's amazing story.
Purple Heart gives you a chance to experience the War in Iraq from a soldier's point of view. It's not pretty. Matt is laying in a hospital bed with a traumatic brain injury. As Matt lays there recovering he tries to piece together the moments he and a fellow soldier were caught in cross fire and a young boy was killed. We are with Matt as certain truths are revealed and the chain of events leading up to the explosion start to become more clear to him. Soon he is back in the field with his squad-but can he still trust them and can he still protect them. Everything is different and he is changed. He still needs to know what happened to this little boy and if he was the cause of his death. He can't move forward until he finds answers.
Matt is a very likable character and very soon you find yourself rooting for him and his quest for truth.
I loved having a first hand look into the Iraqi War, The soldiers and The civilians. It gave me better understanding into the relationships that have been built between the Iraqi people and soldiers and the politics that rule both their worlds.
My 16 yr old saw me reading this book and became interested in reading it for his English class. Hopefully he enjoys it as mush as I did.
I added this blurb from Patricia McCormick that I found on Amazon.com.
From the Author:
Patricia McCormick(taken from Amazon.com)
Sometimes a book begins with a single, unforgettable image.
A few years ago, I had the privilege of working on an unusual peace demonstration─one that united Vietnam vets with recent veterans from the war in Iraq and old-fashioned peaceniks. These unlikely groups were brought together by the American Friends Service Committee, the Quakers.
As a group, we arranged more than 3,600 pairs of combat boots, each one tagged with the name of a soldier who'd died in Iraq or Afghanistan, in a display that was meant to symbolize the real human cost of the war. Nearby, we laid out a pile of civilian shoes to symbolize the uncounted men, women and children who'd died in Iraq.
One pair of shoes caught my eye. It was a pair of sneakers, just the right size for a ten-year-old boy. I instantly saw that boy being shot in the chest, his small body flung into the air from the force of the blast. As much as I tried to forget such a horrific image, I couldn't. And so I spent the next few years imagining how such a thing could happen.
Purple Heart is a fictionalized look at that death, and how two young American soldiers may or may not have been involved in it. It isn't an anti-war book. It isn't a pro-war book. It's an attempt to portray how three children─two eighteen-year-old Americans and a ten-year-old Iraqi boy─have been affected by war.
It's estimated that more than 650,000 civilians have died in Iraq. Because this war has been fought in cities, in and amongst families, civilian fatalities have become the "signature" of this conflict─causing profound moral conflicts for soldiers and profound losses for those families.
I finished this book with as many questions as I had when I started. I came away with a deepened respect for our soldiers, a better appreciation of life in a war zone, and a strengthened commitment to peace. My hope is that readers will, too.
A Middle School Librarian asked me to preview this book before putting it on the shelf for her students. Purple Heart is a book I would have totally judged by it's cover and passed it over. I don't normally seek out books about war. I'm so very glad I had the opportunity to read Purple Heart and experience Patricia McCormick's amazing story.
Purple Heart gives you a chance to experience the War in Iraq from a soldier's point of view. It's not pretty. Matt is laying in a hospital bed with a traumatic brain injury. As Matt lays there recovering he tries to piece together the moments he and a fellow soldier were caught in cross fire and a young boy was killed. We are with Matt as certain truths are revealed and the chain of events leading up to the explosion start to become more clear to him. Soon he is back in the field with his squad-but can he still trust them and can he still protect them. Everything is different and he is changed. He still needs to know what happened to this little boy and if he was the cause of his death. He can't move forward until he finds answers.
Matt is a very likable character and very soon you find yourself rooting for him and his quest for truth.
I loved having a first hand look into the Iraqi War, The soldiers and The civilians. It gave me better understanding into the relationships that have been built between the Iraqi people and soldiers and the politics that rule both their worlds.
My 16 yr old saw me reading this book and became interested in reading it for his English class. Hopefully he enjoys it as mush as I did.
I added this blurb from Patricia McCormick that I found on Amazon.com.
From the Author:
Patricia McCormick(taken from Amazon.com)
Sometimes a book begins with a single, unforgettable image.
A few years ago, I had the privilege of working on an unusual peace demonstration─one that united Vietnam vets with recent veterans from the war in Iraq and old-fashioned peaceniks. These unlikely groups were brought together by the American Friends Service Committee, the Quakers.
As a group, we arranged more than 3,600 pairs of combat boots, each one tagged with the name of a soldier who'd died in Iraq or Afghanistan, in a display that was meant to symbolize the real human cost of the war. Nearby, we laid out a pile of civilian shoes to symbolize the uncounted men, women and children who'd died in Iraq.
One pair of shoes caught my eye. It was a pair of sneakers, just the right size for a ten-year-old boy. I instantly saw that boy being shot in the chest, his small body flung into the air from the force of the blast. As much as I tried to forget such a horrific image, I couldn't. And so I spent the next few years imagining how such a thing could happen.
Purple Heart is a fictionalized look at that death, and how two young American soldiers may or may not have been involved in it. It isn't an anti-war book. It isn't a pro-war book. It's an attempt to portray how three children─two eighteen-year-old Americans and a ten-year-old Iraqi boy─have been affected by war.
It's estimated that more than 650,000 civilians have died in Iraq. Because this war has been fought in cities, in and amongst families, civilian fatalities have become the "signature" of this conflict─causing profound moral conflicts for soldiers and profound losses for those families.
I finished this book with as many questions as I had when I started. I came away with a deepened respect for our soldiers, a better appreciation of life in a war zone, and a strengthened commitment to peace. My hope is that readers will, too.
October 14, 2016
The young life of private Matt Duffy drastically changes when he wakes up in the army hospital, half awake and bandaged up on the head. After finding out what happened to him in the last 24 hours, he finally comes to realization. When Matt and his friend Justin go to inspect a street, 2 seconds they are in, there is a bomb that goes and unfortunately for Matt, he gets TBI. From time to time, he gets flashbacks and distant memories from the accident, which confuses him on what really happened. Through fights between one and another and major at accidents, Matt is able to figure what really happened that day in the street.
What I enjoyed about the author’s style of writing and how she laid out the characters and setting was that she really made me understand the story more clear and I didn’t have trouble wondering what was going on. What I liked about the characters was that she gave a very good description that I felt like I actually knew the characters as my friends. When writing each chapter, the author made transitions very smoothly, which I enjoyed and she didn’t have choppy sentences. They flowed one after the other. What I didn’t like was that the formating of her chapters was very off. She didn’t have titles of each chapter and after you finish reading one, there would be a tiny space and the next chapter would start right away. With that, to me, it felt like the story was moving very fast and it was rushed. What I can take away from this book is that things are supposed to happen for specific reasons. Although we might not like it, in the end, there is always something we could learn from what happened. For example, without Matt and Justin going into the dark street and without Matt being in the explosion, they would’ve never learned that their little child friend, Ali, was working with the enemies. So, when we look back on it, we would think back and say that is some important conflict didn’t happen, we would never receive anything out of it.
My overall rating of the book would be 4 stars out of 5. I enjoyed this book very much even though when I first read the preview, I wasn’t much interested. After reading the first chapter, I was hooked on and didn’t want to stop reading until I finished. I would recommend this book to eighth graders and above because there is a little bit of cruel language that is used, but overall I would very much recommend for others to read this well written, inspiring story.
What I enjoyed about the author’s style of writing and how she laid out the characters and setting was that she really made me understand the story more clear and I didn’t have trouble wondering what was going on. What I liked about the characters was that she gave a very good description that I felt like I actually knew the characters as my friends. When writing each chapter, the author made transitions very smoothly, which I enjoyed and she didn’t have choppy sentences. They flowed one after the other. What I didn’t like was that the formating of her chapters was very off. She didn’t have titles of each chapter and after you finish reading one, there would be a tiny space and the next chapter would start right away. With that, to me, it felt like the story was moving very fast and it was rushed. What I can take away from this book is that things are supposed to happen for specific reasons. Although we might not like it, in the end, there is always something we could learn from what happened. For example, without Matt and Justin going into the dark street and without Matt being in the explosion, they would’ve never learned that their little child friend, Ali, was working with the enemies. So, when we look back on it, we would think back and say that is some important conflict didn’t happen, we would never receive anything out of it.
My overall rating of the book would be 4 stars out of 5. I enjoyed this book very much even though when I first read the preview, I wasn’t much interested. After reading the first chapter, I was hooked on and didn’t want to stop reading until I finished. I would recommend this book to eighth graders and above because there is a little bit of cruel language that is used, but overall I would very much recommend for others to read this well written, inspiring story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 18, 2013
Matt, the main character, wakes up in a military hospital with no recollection of the event that got him there. Justin, Matt’s best friend from his unit, comes and explains what happened to him. Matt was informed that him and Justin were chasing a potential threat down an alleyway. Once they were separated from their unit, they were ambushed. An RPG blast hit Matt and caused a severe concussion. As more details from the incident come to light, Matt learns there was a little Iraqi boy that was caught in the middle of the firefight and was killed. Throughout his recovery in the hospital, Matt wonders if he was the one that shot the Iraqi boy. After being physically and psychologically evaluated, Matt is questioned by higher ranking officers about the event. Matt is eventually allowed to return to his unit, where he was happily greeted.
“Purple Heart” is told from the narrator’s point of view. In this book, the author is the narrator. The author uses primarily direct characterization to describe the characters. Matt interacts with many characters, ranging from soldiers in his unit, to Iraqi natives.
The book is set during the Iraq War, which started in 2003, and was officially over in 2011. The story takes place in a military hospital and the surrounding towns, all of which are in Iraq.
I found only a couple of prevalent themes in “Purple Heart”. These two themes were friendship and appearance vs reality. While Matt is in the hospital, he is anxious to get back to his unit. Once he gets out of the hospital, he becomes closer with his unit than he was before. In terms of appearance vs reality, Matt has an idea of how the people around him are, but his thoughts change once he really gets to know them.
Altogether, I thought “Purple Heart” was an extremely gripping novel. The book always keeps you guessing and is also easy to understand. However, because it contains some gruesome imagery and explicit language, I would recommend it to any adult or young adult.
“Purple Heart” is told from the narrator’s point of view. In this book, the author is the narrator. The author uses primarily direct characterization to describe the characters. Matt interacts with many characters, ranging from soldiers in his unit, to Iraqi natives.
The book is set during the Iraq War, which started in 2003, and was officially over in 2011. The story takes place in a military hospital and the surrounding towns, all of which are in Iraq.
I found only a couple of prevalent themes in “Purple Heart”. These two themes were friendship and appearance vs reality. While Matt is in the hospital, he is anxious to get back to his unit. Once he gets out of the hospital, he becomes closer with his unit than he was before. In terms of appearance vs reality, Matt has an idea of how the people around him are, but his thoughts change once he really gets to know them.
Altogether, I thought “Purple Heart” was an extremely gripping novel. The book always keeps you guessing and is also easy to understand. However, because it contains some gruesome imagery and explicit language, I would recommend it to any adult or young adult.
January 9, 2017
Personnel Response: Right away I knew that this book would be the one that I would not put down. The book had a lot of close relations with the war subject and I thought that it was very exciting book to read. Honestly If I was the one that was being honored by the Army Association with a purple heart that would be one of the best gifts anyone could have received to them personally. My overall personnel response of Purple Heart is that It has very good touching relationships with the real world.
Plot: One day Matt wakes up and was awarded with a Purple Heart when he was wounded in the Iraq hospital for his sustained wounds. He was always forgetting the important things in the world and the life around him, so when he was awaken by the sounds of exploding bombs in the hospital all Matt could think about was the little boy in the city of Iraq that he had to shoot because the little boy was on a suicide mission and was going to kill Matt. Matt knew he had a job to do so he lives with those memories the rest of his career and life. While he was recovering he was still in the war and was recovering in the hospital while he was doing work on the computer for spy information. When Matt was recovered, he was ready to go and was sent back to Iraq in the combat zones of war. Towards the end of the book he retired from combat missions and only did a few field missions. One day he was in a field mission when he saw his friend shooting up the place where he was recovering when he was hurt and to soon find out that his ex friend was working for the Iraqi Army and had to bring out his sniper and take his friend down. From that one day Matt decided he could not take the pain of killing his friend nor little kids. Matt decided to end his Army career and retire.
Recommendations: I would recommend this book to an upper teen age level due to the swearing and violence of real life war stories and pictures. People that have an interest in war should definitely read The Purple Heart book today while they still can.
Plot: One day Matt wakes up and was awarded with a Purple Heart when he was wounded in the Iraq hospital for his sustained wounds. He was always forgetting the important things in the world and the life around him, so when he was awaken by the sounds of exploding bombs in the hospital all Matt could think about was the little boy in the city of Iraq that he had to shoot because the little boy was on a suicide mission and was going to kill Matt. Matt knew he had a job to do so he lives with those memories the rest of his career and life. While he was recovering he was still in the war and was recovering in the hospital while he was doing work on the computer for spy information. When Matt was recovered, he was ready to go and was sent back to Iraq in the combat zones of war. Towards the end of the book he retired from combat missions and only did a few field missions. One day he was in a field mission when he saw his friend shooting up the place where he was recovering when he was hurt and to soon find out that his ex friend was working for the Iraqi Army and had to bring out his sniper and take his friend down. From that one day Matt decided he could not take the pain of killing his friend nor little kids. Matt decided to end his Army career and retire.
Recommendations: I would recommend this book to an upper teen age level due to the swearing and violence of real life war stories and pictures. People that have an interest in war should definitely read The Purple Heart book today while they still can.
December 27, 2009
Readers will be quickly drawn into the experiences of Matt Duffy, an 18-year-old engineer serving in Iraq during the most recent war there. He has woken up in a hospital in Baghdad's Green Zone as he recovers for a head injury that he incurred in an alleyway altercation. There seems to be some sort of mystery involved with what happened in the alley because a young boy, who had been hanging around with his unit, was also killed during the altercation.
Due to his head injury, he is unable to remember the events as they happened, but he is getting glimpses of his memory as he starts to recover and with the help of an army psychology who has been assigned to evaluate whether he is ready to head back into combat.
As he starts to recover his memories, Matt introduces the reader to the other people in his unit, who have each become very important people in his life. Though they haven't been together long, they all consider each other to be family. This only makes what has happened even more difficult to handle.
McCormick is a master at creating characters and her writing style easily draws the readers into the tale. Through Matt and those around him, readers will get to experience what it can be like to go through battle and deal with the consequences of people dying, both your friends and your enemies.
My only problem with the book is it seemed to present an extraordinary experience rather than highlighting what the average solider goes through. The events that led to Matt's injuries are not something that happen to everyone who has gone to Iraq, and as a result really present a dramatized version of the horrors. This doesn't draw away from the interest of the story, and it is also not an exaggeration, but it would be like telling the story of My Lai in Vietnam and presenting it as the story of what Vietnam vets experienced.
Due to his head injury, he is unable to remember the events as they happened, but he is getting glimpses of his memory as he starts to recover and with the help of an army psychology who has been assigned to evaluate whether he is ready to head back into combat.
As he starts to recover his memories, Matt introduces the reader to the other people in his unit, who have each become very important people in his life. Though they haven't been together long, they all consider each other to be family. This only makes what has happened even more difficult to handle.
McCormick is a master at creating characters and her writing style easily draws the readers into the tale. Through Matt and those around him, readers will get to experience what it can be like to go through battle and deal with the consequences of people dying, both your friends and your enemies.
My only problem with the book is it seemed to present an extraordinary experience rather than highlighting what the average solider goes through. The events that led to Matt's injuries are not something that happen to everyone who has gone to Iraq, and as a result really present a dramatized version of the horrors. This doesn't draw away from the interest of the story, and it is also not an exaggeration, but it would be like telling the story of My Lai in Vietnam and presenting it as the story of what Vietnam vets experienced.
September 30, 2012
Wow. After reading this, I seriously needed some time to catch my breath. Between my past family and present family having fought/fighting in the army, the topic of war has always been very close to my heart and I admit I'm picky about what I read with this topic. I hate novels where the army is mocked or put in a bad light or just written in a sloppy style because I read in my family's letters and other books how horrible and life shattering war can be. This novel blew me away. I read it in one night just because something about it wouldn't let me put it down. It's about a soldier who wakes up in the hospital and realizes that he was blown up by a RPG (basically like a grenade). He's awarded a Purple Heart, but he can't remember the incident that caused him to receive it. He has a form of concussion which causes memory loss, trouble thinking of common words etc. The first half of the book is him recovering and trying to understand what happened and if his nightmares are really his reality. The second half is when he's out of the hospital and it's when the chaos really starts. I didn't ADORE McCormick's writing style, but the plot was so amazing, it didn't really spoil anything. The ONLY reason it is 4 stars is because I felt the ending wasn't full enough and wrap things up and didn't leave enough to leave us wondering what happened next. There were just a lot of lose ends. It was one of those books where I wondered where the next chapter was. But the rest of the story just made up for everything so much I barely even remember the parts I didn't love. Overall, a great overnight, can't put down, compelling read. There's death and realizations that shock you and make you think for hours after you've finished the book. A great read.
May 8, 2013
This is on the 2014 Abe list.
I struggle with Patricia McCormick... I absolutely loathed Never Fall Down; it felt appropriated, colonialist. With Purple Heart, once again she's done a lot of research and seems to have immersed herself in interviews with Iraq war vets and family members. She used the 3rd person to flesh out Matt's story of surviving an RPG with traumatic brain injury and his return to the front. And even though I was intrigued by Matt's story and horrified by the deeply layered "don't ask, don't tell" culture of the U.S. military, something about this entire book rang hollow. It felt journalistic. The moment she has Matt use the phrase "goofing off" to describe how he and his squad hang out, I thought: yep, this is a middle aged woman here. As we would say in YA class, there was way too much annoying "authorial intrusion."
That said, McCormick takes on an important issues that are relevant for today's teens: the ongoing war in Iraq, the draw of military service, young vets returning home and being sent back out to the front with traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress.
Young readers will be swept up in the mystery of what happened to Matt, to the little boy, with his friend Justin. We regain memory as Matt does--somewhat ok storytelling.
And now I'm going prioritize reading The Yellow Birds, National Book Award finalist, written by a veteran of the Iraq War. I think I value authenticity over research.
I struggle with Patricia McCormick... I absolutely loathed Never Fall Down; it felt appropriated, colonialist. With Purple Heart, once again she's done a lot of research and seems to have immersed herself in interviews with Iraq war vets and family members. She used the 3rd person to flesh out Matt's story of surviving an RPG with traumatic brain injury and his return to the front. And even though I was intrigued by Matt's story and horrified by the deeply layered "don't ask, don't tell" culture of the U.S. military, something about this entire book rang hollow. It felt journalistic. The moment she has Matt use the phrase "goofing off" to describe how he and his squad hang out, I thought: yep, this is a middle aged woman here. As we would say in YA class, there was way too much annoying "authorial intrusion."
That said, McCormick takes on an important issues that are relevant for today's teens: the ongoing war in Iraq, the draw of military service, young vets returning home and being sent back out to the front with traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress.
Young readers will be swept up in the mystery of what happened to Matt, to the little boy, with his friend Justin. We regain memory as Matt does--somewhat ok storytelling.
And now I'm going prioritize reading The Yellow Birds, National Book Award finalist, written by a veteran of the Iraq War. I think I value authenticity over research.
March 15, 2010
There is a plethora of young adult literature being published of late concerning contemporary warfare, its effects on those left behind,and the impact on those who serve. "Purple Heart" focuses mostly on the ramifications of warfare on the soldiers who fight. Eighteen-year-old soldier, Matt Duffy, wakes up not knowing where he is or what has happened. He is in a hospital in the "Green Zone" in Baghdad, Iraq, suffering from TBI - Traumatic Brain Injury. After receiving a "purple heart" for being injured while serving, he begins to piece together the events that have brought him here. He repeatedly sees in his memory a candy wrapper, razor wire, a dog, and a boy he recognizes as Ali (the ten year old Iraqui boy he has befriended). Once he pieces things together, he learns that many aspects of war reside in the gray, rather than clearly being black or white. There are no easy answers to the many tough questions that war inspires.
"Purple Heart" is a fast, compelling, contemporary read that will appeal to both boys (for the war action) and girls (for the compelling characterizations). There is plenty of fodder for discussion here as well. Some mature language and discussion by characters is included, though nothing gratuitous or graphic. There is violence, but that is to be expected in a book of this nature. Highly recommended.
"Purple Heart" is a fast, compelling, contemporary read that will appeal to both boys (for the war action) and girls (for the compelling characterizations). There is plenty of fodder for discussion here as well. Some mature language and discussion by characters is included, though nothing gratuitous or graphic. There is violence, but that is to be expected in a book of this nature. Highly recommended.
October 19, 2015
Personal Response:
I think this book was really good over all. It was a really interesting story about the war in Iraq. Its really interesting how they have the main character, Matt, get hurt in one of the first chapters of the book. Some of the parts in the book were boring, and not very interesting, though.
Plot Summary:
The story was about a squad that had been fighting in the war against Iraq. In one of the first chapters of the book, Matt had gotten hit by an RPG, and was pinned underneath of a car. The story was mainly about Matt recovering. He had TBI or traumatic Brain Injury, and he could not remember what had happened before the accident. His right leg always drags behind him, because he was pinned under the car. Towards the end of the book he got to back to his squad, and when he got back there squad was under a ceasefire. So they all had to patrol the grounds in pairs of two. At the end of the book they were attacked, and over all two of the six people in the squad had died, and one was injured. The two that had died were Matt`s closest buddies, even though one of them was a girl. He basically watched both of them die. It was crazy.
Recommendations:
I would recommend this to anybody, there are a few swear words in it, though. So, i would recommend it to somebody that is mature enough to handle it.
I think this book was really good over all. It was a really interesting story about the war in Iraq. Its really interesting how they have the main character, Matt, get hurt in one of the first chapters of the book. Some of the parts in the book were boring, and not very interesting, though.
Plot Summary:
The story was about a squad that had been fighting in the war against Iraq. In one of the first chapters of the book, Matt had gotten hit by an RPG, and was pinned underneath of a car. The story was mainly about Matt recovering. He had TBI or traumatic Brain Injury, and he could not remember what had happened before the accident. His right leg always drags behind him, because he was pinned under the car. Towards the end of the book he got to back to his squad, and when he got back there squad was under a ceasefire. So they all had to patrol the grounds in pairs of two. At the end of the book they were attacked, and over all two of the six people in the squad had died, and one was injured. The two that had died were Matt`s closest buddies, even though one of them was a girl. He basically watched both of them die. It was crazy.
Recommendations:
I would recommend this to anybody, there are a few swear words in it, though. So, i would recommend it to somebody that is mature enough to handle it.
December 10, 2010
My overall opinion on the book is that is a pretty good book. There were a lot of parts that made you think and then there were a lot of parts that made you wonder what was going to happen. When the book starts out it seems kind of boring but it gets better throughout the book. The middle part where he is getting questioned and finally gets to go back is my favorite part. The one part that I absolutely hated was the ending. It was one of the worst endings if ever read in my opinion.
If you like war and thing that go on in a war than this would be the perfect book for you because it shows a real life situation that could happen to anyone. It really shows what goes on “behind the scenes” if you want to put it like that. When someone asks you something about war the first thing you think of is fighting and killing people for the rights of others. But in the book it really shows what happens to a soldier that gets hurt in battle and is trying to make a comeback so he can get back with his squad and get things back to normal. After reading it I would definitely recommend it to anyone who likes war stories. GOOD BOOK!!!
If you like war and thing that go on in a war than this would be the perfect book for you because it shows a real life situation that could happen to anyone. It really shows what goes on “behind the scenes” if you want to put it like that. When someone asks you something about war the first thing you think of is fighting and killing people for the rights of others. But in the book it really shows what happens to a soldier that gets hurt in battle and is trying to make a comeback so he can get back with his squad and get things back to normal. After reading it I would definitely recommend it to anyone who likes war stories. GOOD BOOK!!!
October 27, 2017
Personal response
I liked this book because it was written very well. It portrayed what life is like in Iraq for the American soldiers over there fighting. I also thought it had a very interesting plot.
Plot summary
This book was about what an American soldier named Matt fighting in Iraq was going through. It started out with him laying in a hospital bed and not knowing why. Then as the book went on,he slowly started to understand what happened to him. He finds friends in the hospital that help him on his road to remembering. He eventually gets sent back out with his squad to do patrols,and he ends up knowing what really happens.
Recommendation
I would recommend this book to people 14+ because it talks about the war life in Iraq. I would also recomend it to people who are interested in the military because I feel that is very accurate in the stories it tells about it. People who are young should not read this book because I feel they would have a hard time understanding the death in the book.
I liked this book because it was written very well. It portrayed what life is like in Iraq for the American soldiers over there fighting. I also thought it had a very interesting plot.
Plot summary
This book was about what an American soldier named Matt fighting in Iraq was going through. It started out with him laying in a hospital bed and not knowing why. Then as the book went on,he slowly started to understand what happened to him. He finds friends in the hospital that help him on his road to remembering. He eventually gets sent back out with his squad to do patrols,and he ends up knowing what really happens.
Recommendation
I would recommend this book to people 14+ because it talks about the war life in Iraq. I would also recomend it to people who are interested in the military because I feel that is very accurate in the stories it tells about it. People who are young should not read this book because I feel they would have a hard time understanding the death in the book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 12, 2015
Grade: Middle School
Reading level: 760 Lexile
Genre: Historical
Main Characters: Private Matt Duffy, Justin, Wolf, and Charlene
Setting: In a War
POV: First Person
When Private Matt Duffy woke up in the hospital, He can remember everything up to he being hospitalized. He is suffering from TBI (traumatic brain injury). Matt is told that an RPG exploded next to him while he and his partner were chasing a suspicious vehicle down a dark alley. Then Private Duffy thinks there is more to this than people are telling him. His dreams are filled with the images of a Iraqi boy shot through the chest. Matt starts to think he might have killed the boy in a frenzy of crossfire and just doesn't remember it.
I would recommend this book to someone who like to know about war. Also someone who like to learn about how tragic accidents, and how your memory can just be lost.
Reading level: 760 Lexile
Genre: Historical
Main Characters: Private Matt Duffy, Justin, Wolf, and Charlene
Setting: In a War
POV: First Person
When Private Matt Duffy woke up in the hospital, He can remember everything up to he being hospitalized. He is suffering from TBI (traumatic brain injury). Matt is told that an RPG exploded next to him while he and his partner were chasing a suspicious vehicle down a dark alley. Then Private Duffy thinks there is more to this than people are telling him. His dreams are filled with the images of a Iraqi boy shot through the chest. Matt starts to think he might have killed the boy in a frenzy of crossfire and just doesn't remember it.
I would recommend this book to someone who like to know about war. Also someone who like to learn about how tragic accidents, and how your memory can just be lost.
June 6, 2022
I want people to read this book thus the five star rating but for me it’s more of a 4.5. Patricia McCormick is a writer I admire and wished I have her job lol Formerly a journalist she does a great deal of research and seeks to expose truth and bring you into the experience she’s protraying. This book is about the Iraq war and follows the story of Matt a soldier wounded in confusing circumstances. McCormick explores the ideas of right, wrong and the grey area that colors our lives. This book inspires questions and feels true to wartime experience. Two thumbs up
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September 25, 2012I think this book s alright and easy to read. I think it sad how Matt lose his memory and can only remember something. I also hate how his squad Had to leave him in the hospital. I also think something bad might happen to Justin and that letter might been the last thing he hear from him. But so far i like the book and it and easy book to read too, so it might be something you want to look in to.
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