Purple Heart by Patricia McCormick
Review of the Book
Purple Heart is a book about a man, Private Matt Duffy, who gets shot, and suffers from PTSD (Post-traumatic Stress Disorder.) While Matt is staying in the Green Zone, which a safe zone for injured soldiers, recollection of memories slowly come back to him. At the end of Private Duffy's time in the safety zone, he realizes he may have a hurt a young boy. It is hard for him to go back out into combat with his squad, and fight again. Matt wants to go back to being the strong, fearless soldier he once was. But, after this incident, he has trouble pulling the trigger on any human beings. Guilt, is an understatement of what Matt is feeling. Throughout the corse of the Matt tries to figure out what happens. At the end of the book, his close friends are killed. Matt has to deal with this, turns to God for help, and tries to fight to end this war.
I personally enjoyed the book. I had always wondered what war was like for soldiers. For example, Matt calls back home and his little sister is talking about getting her driver's permit, while he is at risk of being killed every day. Here I am, in my room listening to Taylor Swift, as many soldiers are fighting and being killed right this second. It must be extremely for hard for the soldiers to know they have ever killed a human being. To know that soldiers willingly put themselves in danger just for our freedom, is remarkable. At the same time, it was also hard to imagine how the native families must feel in Iraq. The families that want nothing to do with war but are unfortunately caught in the middle. Families that have to live in alleys. Or like Ali's family, who had no money and was living in a drainage pipe. They were so poor, that Ali, a young little boy who was so desperate and hungry, was bribed. The insurgents gave Ali a pair of soccer cleats just to have him be a spotter for the American soldiers. He almost had Matt killed. The story of how the man put a bomb in his car and let it blow up, while his three young kids were still in the car. Stories like these, amaze and disgust me how innocent people are collateral damage. Overall, I enjoyed this book and
it gave me an insight on war, and a new appreciation for soldiers.
I personally enjoyed the book. I had always wondered what war was like for soldiers. For example, Matt calls back home and his little sister is talking about getting her driver's permit, while he is at risk of being killed every day. Here I am, in my room listening to Taylor Swift, as many soldiers are fighting and being killed right this second. It must be extremely for hard for the soldiers to know they have ever killed a human being. To know that soldiers willingly put themselves in danger just for our freedom, is remarkable. At the same time, it was also hard to imagine how the native families must feel in Iraq. The families that want nothing to do with war but are unfortunately caught in the middle. Families that have to live in alleys. Or like Ali's family, who had no money and was living in a drainage pipe. They were so poor, that Ali, a young little boy who was so desperate and hungry, was bribed. The insurgents gave Ali a pair of soccer cleats just to have him be a spotter for the American soldiers. He almost had Matt killed. The story of how the man put a bomb in his car and let it blow up, while his three young kids were still in the car. Stories like these, amaze and disgust me how innocent people are collateral damage. Overall, I enjoyed this book and
it gave me an insight on war, and a new appreciation for soldiers.
Great Lines and Quotes from the Book
“‘That hurts.’ The man sounded pleased. ‘Good. Pain is good. Better than the alternative.’” Page 3
“‘Here in Iraq, the things you see, sometimes you wonder about God,’ Father Brennan said. He put his cap back on his head and walked towards the next bed. ‘But there’s always baseball.’” Page 9
“As he watched Wolf squirt Silly String down the back of Figueroa’s shirt, he remembered thinking, 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.” Page 53
“He’d told himself that that was what he was fighting for: so Caroline and his mom and Lizzy could go to the mall or watch that show they liked, Gossip Girl, and do whatever they did and not have to worry.” Page 58
“‘My kid,’ Francis said. He stared at the picture for a while. ‘I told my wife…’” His voice drifted off. ‘Have everybody come to the side door. The mailman, then neighbors.’ Matt had to idea what he was talking about.
‘When the army comes to your door, to give you the bad news,’ he said, ‘they always use the front door. The chaplain, the guy with the letter from the president, they come to the front door.’ Matt nodded. ‘So if everybody we know uses the side door, every time the bell rings, she doesn’t have to, you know, imagine the worst.’” Page 59-60
“‘When something is too painful to process,’” Meghan said gently, ‘your mind has a way of burying it.’
Neither of them could say what “it” was. Shooting a child. Aiming, pulling the trigger, and killing a little boy.” Page 110
“‘When the bullets are whizzing by and it’s all f****** chaos and noise, you don’t think about morals or politics or anything. You stop thinking. And just fight. Because, just for those few seconds, it’s simple If you don’t kill the other guy, he’s going to kill you.’
But Wolf was the one who surprised Matt the most.
‘I hate it, you know. I hate this shit. I hate how we came over here to help these people and instead we’re killing them. But you know what else? I also sorta love it, man. When you’re out there with your M16 and your night-vision goggles, you feel like you’re teen feet tall and bulletproof. You are Superman. It’s this primal thing. I love it. And I hate it.’” Page 115
“‘A driver comes to our southern checkpoint, asks permission to park in one of the busiest areas in the market. He has three kids in the backseat. Little ones. Says he has to carry something from one of the stalls to his car and he doesn’t want to leave the kids alone in the parking lot.’
Matt squinted, trying to follow what Brody was saying.
‘Our guys waved him in, helped him park. He walks away. Couple minutes later, the car blows up. With the kids still in the back.’” Page 120
“In a few hours, Charlene’s mother would open the front door and see an army chaplain on her porch. Right now, though, she was sleeping or maybe watching TV. Her daughter was dead, she just didn’t know it yet.” Page 189
“He wasn't who you thought he was, Justin had said. He was just a kid, Matt had kept telling himself. And it was true. A kid who liked Skittles and American slang. A kid who could score a goal from twenty yards out, barefoot. He was also an orphan who lived in a drainage pipe, a kid who was so hungry, so desperate, he’d do anything.
He was a kid- until someone gave him a pair of soccer cleats. After that, he was an enemey sympathizer. A spy. A spotter who had nearly gotten Matt killed.” Page 191
“‘Here in Iraq, the things you see, sometimes you wonder about God,’ Father Brennan said. He put his cap back on his head and walked towards the next bed. ‘But there’s always baseball.’” Page 9
“As he watched Wolf squirt Silly String down the back of Figueroa’s shirt, he remembered thinking, 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.” Page 53
“He’d told himself that that was what he was fighting for: so Caroline and his mom and Lizzy could go to the mall or watch that show they liked, Gossip Girl, and do whatever they did and not have to worry.” Page 58
“‘My kid,’ Francis said. He stared at the picture for a while. ‘I told my wife…’” His voice drifted off. ‘Have everybody come to the side door. The mailman, then neighbors.’ Matt had to idea what he was talking about.
‘When the army comes to your door, to give you the bad news,’ he said, ‘they always use the front door. The chaplain, the guy with the letter from the president, they come to the front door.’ Matt nodded. ‘So if everybody we know uses the side door, every time the bell rings, she doesn’t have to, you know, imagine the worst.’” Page 59-60
“‘When something is too painful to process,’” Meghan said gently, ‘your mind has a way of burying it.’
Neither of them could say what “it” was. Shooting a child. Aiming, pulling the trigger, and killing a little boy.” Page 110
“‘When the bullets are whizzing by and it’s all f****** chaos and noise, you don’t think about morals or politics or anything. You stop thinking. And just fight. Because, just for those few seconds, it’s simple If you don’t kill the other guy, he’s going to kill you.’
But Wolf was the one who surprised Matt the most.
‘I hate it, you know. I hate this shit. I hate how we came over here to help these people and instead we’re killing them. But you know what else? I also sorta love it, man. When you’re out there with your M16 and your night-vision goggles, you feel like you’re teen feet tall and bulletproof. You are Superman. It’s this primal thing. I love it. And I hate it.’” Page 115
“‘A driver comes to our southern checkpoint, asks permission to park in one of the busiest areas in the market. He has three kids in the backseat. Little ones. Says he has to carry something from one of the stalls to his car and he doesn’t want to leave the kids alone in the parking lot.’
Matt squinted, trying to follow what Brody was saying.
‘Our guys waved him in, helped him park. He walks away. Couple minutes later, the car blows up. With the kids still in the back.’” Page 120
“In a few hours, Charlene’s mother would open the front door and see an army chaplain on her porch. Right now, though, she was sleeping or maybe watching TV. Her daughter was dead, she just didn’t know it yet.” Page 189
“He wasn't who you thought he was, Justin had said. He was just a kid, Matt had kept telling himself. And it was true. A kid who liked Skittles and American slang. A kid who could score a goal from twenty yards out, barefoot. He was also an orphan who lived in a drainage pipe, a kid who was so hungry, so desperate, he’d do anything.
He was a kid- until someone gave him a pair of soccer cleats. After that, he was an enemey sympathizer. A spy. A spotter who had nearly gotten Matt killed.” Page 191
Images that Set the Stage for the Book
“As he gazed out the window, Matt pictured Ali, a ten-year-old who was one of the WMDs, scoring a goal, running away from the net. Usually Ali celebrated by spreading his arms like a pair of airplane wings, like the great Brazilian forward, Ronaldo. It was a move he’d picked up watching TV in the market, as he knelt on the ground and peeked through the forest of men’s legs.” Page 28-29
“As the last strains of the song died out, Matt thought again of the dusty alleyway. All of the alleys in Baghdad looked the same- piles of plaster where mortar rounds had hit the buildings, flat tires and abandoned car parts in the middle of the street, razor wire and graffiti everywhere. But right in the middle of all that chaos, all that destruction, you’d stumble on signs of family life- laundry flapping in the wind, a chicken pecking in a yard, a radio playing from somewhere inside.” Page 52
“Then he heard gunshots. The staccato pop-pop-pop-pop of an AK-47.” Page 66
“And suddenly Matt was back in the alley. In the distance, he could see a little boy, ducking in and out of a doorway. A candy wrapper fluttered from a coil of razor wire. The quivering radio voice of a woman singing a love song floated through the air. Machine-gun fire erupted. Bits of plaster rained down from overhead. A dog, a mangy stray with a crooked tail, trotted across the street, oblivious to the battle around him. A single shot rang out. The child was lifted into the air, paddling his arms like a swimmer. He looked surprised, then confused, then absolutely terrified as he soared through the turquoise sky, higher and higher, until all Matt could see were the soles of his shoes.” Page 66-67
“The line beeped, then went silent, as if the digital tether that had linked his hospital room in Saddam’s old palace to Lizzy’s bedroom back home had suddenly snapped.” Page 131
“Across the road from the school was an open field. It was littered with garbage. A few goats were grazing on whatever they could find. An old man was bent at the waist, rifling through trash.” Page 152
“He really did wish for peace. So the people could go back to living their lives. So he could go home. And see Caroline and his mom and Lizzy. And go to McDonald’s. And drink a cold beer. He smiled at the thought that it would be al ot easier to find someone to buy him a six-pack now that he was a vet.” Page 164
“As the last strains of the song died out, Matt thought again of the dusty alleyway. All of the alleys in Baghdad looked the same- piles of plaster where mortar rounds had hit the buildings, flat tires and abandoned car parts in the middle of the street, razor wire and graffiti everywhere. But right in the middle of all that chaos, all that destruction, you’d stumble on signs of family life- laundry flapping in the wind, a chicken pecking in a yard, a radio playing from somewhere inside.” Page 52
“Then he heard gunshots. The staccato pop-pop-pop-pop of an AK-47.” Page 66
“And suddenly Matt was back in the alley. In the distance, he could see a little boy, ducking in and out of a doorway. A candy wrapper fluttered from a coil of razor wire. The quivering radio voice of a woman singing a love song floated through the air. Machine-gun fire erupted. Bits of plaster rained down from overhead. A dog, a mangy stray with a crooked tail, trotted across the street, oblivious to the battle around him. A single shot rang out. The child was lifted into the air, paddling his arms like a swimmer. He looked surprised, then confused, then absolutely terrified as he soared through the turquoise sky, higher and higher, until all Matt could see were the soles of his shoes.” Page 66-67
“The line beeped, then went silent, as if the digital tether that had linked his hospital room in Saddam’s old palace to Lizzy’s bedroom back home had suddenly snapped.” Page 131
“Across the road from the school was an open field. It was littered with garbage. A few goats were grazing on whatever they could find. An old man was bent at the waist, rifling through trash.” Page 152
“He really did wish for peace. So the people could go back to living their lives. So he could go home. And see Caroline and his mom and Lizzy. And go to McDonald’s. And drink a cold beer. He smiled at the thought that it would be al ot easier to find someone to buy him a six-pack now that he was a vet.” Page 164
Links to Historical Topics in the Book
Purple Heart: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_Heart
Saddam Hussein Timeline and Information: http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/IRQsaddam.htm
Alamo: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/alamo/
Saddam Hussein Timeline and Information: http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/IRQsaddam.htm
Alamo: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/alamo/
