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What Members Thought
It only took me an hour to read this, but it was intense. Between all the death, dismemberment, guilt, racism, violence and fear, there's baseball, piano playing, family dinners and lullabies. But that's what you get from books about the Vietnam War. Ann Burg's story doesn't shy away from gruesome details, but she also shows that life goes on.
I wasn't blown away by the writing (like I was by, say, Out of the Dust). But it didn't make me roll my eyes (like, say, Tropical Secrets: Holocaust Refug ...more
I wasn't blown away by the writing (like I was by, say, Out of the Dust). But it didn't make me roll my eyes (like, say, Tropical Secrets: Holocaust Refug ...more
I love this book, and I love free verse novels. Using such spare language makes every word important and packed with meaning. Burg gives us a very balanced portrayal of the affects of the Vietnam war on a variety of characters: a boy who was airlifted out of Saigon, Veterans returning with physical and mental wounds, men who did not join the service, and families of those who were lost. My only qualm is the fact that every single aspect of Matt's life, from his baseball team to his piano practic
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This is one of those books where you admire the craft, you are moved by the story, and you're not quite sure of the best audience for the book. The main character is a bit young relative to the emotional intensity of the story - not that it couldn't be read and appreciated by upper elementary/middle school readers, especially if any of the issues resonate with them, but it might be a harder sell to high schoolers because of Matt's age.
The story has good tension and pace - I think the verse form ...more
The story has good tension and pace - I think the verse form ...more
Beautiful, poignant first novel from Ann E. Burg, about Matt, a Vietnamese boy whose father was an American soldier (he's never met) that has been airlifted out to the U. S. and is being raised by an American family in the late 1970s. This story deals with Matt's memories -- guilt, love, longing -- of his home country, coupled with the prejudice he encounters from some of his schoolmates and teammates, as well as the fresh and mixed experiences of the returned Vietnam vets. Baseball and music ar
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There's something about reading a novel in poetry that really gets to me. If it's well done, the language is tight, sparse and clean. And this one fits the bill. Beautifully told and set in the U.S. after the Vietnam war, the story centers around a young boy who lived through the hell of the war and was later adopted by an American family. The story is very rich and multi-layered, unfolding each element subtly. Really worth reading. A wonderful introduction to the 1960s and the the divisiveness
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I can't star this book, because I just have trouble appreciating this style. To me this is an interesting plot done a disservice by being written in "verse". I don't get it, and would happily listen if anyone wants to explain.
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A multilayered and moving account of a 10-year-old Bui Doi from Vietnam, adopted and brought to the United States at the end of the Vietnam War. I read this in two hours.
Everything I know about the Vietnam War, I learned about from this book and from Shoot the Moon. We need to do something about improving modern US History in HS.
What a beautiful, BEAUTIFUL book. Loved the narrator's voice, loved Burg's use of language, loved everything about this one. Newbery Committee, take note!
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I am wondering how much a young person who is unfamiliar with the
Vietnam War could relate to this? I'm still digesting it. ...more
Vietnam War could relate to this? I'm still digesting it. ...more
A novel in verse about a half American-half Vietnamese boy who was rescued during the fall of Saigon. Although he is happy with his adoptive family, he can't forget the mother and little brother he left behind. A quick read, and very moving.
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Not very far in the past, but an interesting look at some of the consequences of the Vietnam War.
Oct 03, 2008
Rachel
marked it as to-read
May 20, 2009
Monica Edinger
added it
Aug 22, 2009
Laurie
marked it as to-read
Feb 18, 2010
Jess Gill
marked it as to-read
