Play Audiobook Sample
All the Broken Pieces Audiobook
Play Audiobook Sample
(3.01) - 2,237 listener ratings
Quick Stats About this Audiobook
Total Audiobook Chapters:
Longest Chapter Length:
Shortest Chapter Length:
Average Chapter Length:
Audiobooks by this Author:
Publisher Description
A remarkable literary debut by a stunning new voice in children's fiction.Format: 2 CDs, UnabridgedNarrator: Tobias Christian WongNarrator: TBA
Two years after being airlifted out of war-torn Vietnam, Matt Pin is haunted: by bombs that fell like dead crows, by the family -- and the terrible secret -- he left behind. Now, inside a caring adoptive home in the United States, a series of profound events force him to choose between silence and candor, blame and forgiveness, fear and freedom.By turns harrowing, dreamlike, sad, and triumphant, this searing debut novel, told in lucid verse, reveals an unforgettable perspective on the lasting impact of war and the healing power of love.Download and start listening now!
"All the Broken Pieces tells the story that is familiar to many people during and directly after the Vietnam War. Matt is a young Vietnamese boy who's mom put him up for adoption when the war was too much for them to take. In America he adjusts to the prejudice and bullying of other classmates who look at him as a reminder and the cause that some of their family members that died in the war. Matt is a great pitcher and plays on the school team, but feels out of place when one boy constantly bullies and blames him for his older brothers death. Later in the season, the boys come to an understanding and a new friendship is made. This is a great book told in verse that is great as a diversity read for elementary students. The shift from Matt's past to present can be confusing because there is no obvious cue for when it shifts. Other than that, I thought it was a great book"
— Lindsey (5 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
-
“Burg beautifully evokes the emotions of a Vietnamese adoptee as he struggles to come to terms with his past…The war-torn Vietnamese village that appears in Matt’s recurring nightmares sharply contrasts with the haven he has in America. Burg presents lasting images of both.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review) -
“Short, compelling, and bittersweet…While the novel is written in verse, Wong’s haunting delivery carries the story with the immediacy of first-person prose. His quiet narration pulls us in, so we listen almost holding our breath as Matt’s devastating secrets are revealed.”
— AudioFile -
“This stirring debut novel is about much more than therapy and survivor guilt…The haunting metaphors are never forced, and the intensity of simple words, on the baseball field and in the war zone, will make readers want to rush to the end and then return to the beginning again to make connections between past and present, friends and enemies.”
— Booklist (starred review) -
“With tenderness in his youthful voice…Wong brings captivating sensitivity to his reading of this poetic novel…Wong gracefully handles the simple free verse, creating a sympathetic character in Pin, a youngster who loves baseball, music, and his caring family…Wong also does a good job with intense scenes involving an angry, bigoted teammate and moving passages in which Pin interacts with his admired, cancer-stricken coach and haunted war veterans.”
— Booklist (audio review) -
“A beautifully written novel in verse…Matt’s insecurities feel real throughout, and the manner in which he resolves some of his issues are true to the character and the nature of the text.”
— Children’s Literature -
“Graceful symmetries between brother and brother, father and son, past and present, guilt and forgiveness, shed light on the era and the individual. The verse form carries highly charged emotions and heavy content with elegiac simplicity. A memorable debut.”
— Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
All the Broken Pieces Listener Reviews
-
" The impact of war from the viewpoint of a 12-year old boy airlifted out of Vietnam two years earlier. Written in verse, the 'less is more' aspects of this form work well to get you right to the core of not only his experience, but the experience and feelings of those around him. "
— Charlou, 2/10/2014 -
" All The Broken Pieces takes place in New York during the Vietnam War. The main character Matt was brought over to the United States by a group of US troops. During the story Matt deals with prejudice because he was from Vietnam. Matt copes with the prejudice through music, VV (Veteran's Voices), and baseball, though on the team he still puts up with the prejudice from the other kids. Overall I thought it was a good book. The format was all in poetry which made it a quick read. I'd recommend this to you if you are interested in the Cold War-era/ Vietnam War and the history, as well as to baseball fans. "
— Noah, 2/5/2014 -
" Good historic fiction. Written in verse, this novel demonstrates that the Vietnam war had lasting effects on all those involved, from the veterans to the families of those who did not return to the children airlifted and brought to the U.S. Matt is actually the son of an American soldier and a Vietnamese woman. He struggles to reconcile his feelings of guilt over leaving his younger brother and his mother in Vietnam with his new life with an adoptive family in America. The author treats this tough subject with sensitivity, though not with kid gloves. The format also makes it a good choice for the reluctant reader. "
— Mimi, 1/16/2014 -
" This was a very sweet book but not really my fav. I would say it's a........ 3 1/2 star rating. It's a ok book!!! "
— Felicity, 1/7/2014 -
" A good book that was in verse. it is about war and the problems it causes. "
— Caitlyn, 1/7/2014 -
" Another Young Adult read. "
— Heidi, 12/14/2013 -
" I really enjoyed this book. It was set immediately after the Vietnam War and the characters were the different people that were affected by the war. It was interresting to see the pain they worked through on both sides. I just hope students aren't put off by the format of the book. "
— Robin, 12/3/2013 -
" Truly an example of "less is more" ... a powerful story told in very few words. "
— Mary, 9/10/2013 -
" amazing story, didn't care for the poem form (it makes it hard for me to read) "
— Willowtree, 8/16/2013 -
" A verse novel that weaves a tale about baseball, Vietnam, and bullying. "
— Marie, 5/19/2013 -
" Listened to as an audio book. Enjoyed it and it was quick. "
— Malee, 4/1/2013 -
" This book read like a poem. It was ok. Made the reading go fast. "
— Nick, 3/29/2013 -
" An adopted Vietnamese boy struggles with nightmares from his childhood during the Vietnam War. A beautiful but sad coming of age story written in verse. I loved the symbolism with the baseball. "
— Kelly, 1/23/2013 -
" it;s sad.... :( "
— Sabrina, 10/28/2012 -
" A novel in verse. Loved it! "
— Tani, 8/14/2012 -
" Hard to follow, but it all comes together at the end. "
— Max, 2/2/2012 -
" This is on our VA Readers' Choice list this year for middle school. I liked it - a quick read that will give middle school students some understanding of the complex Vietnam War through the eyes of a Vietnamese/American child who was sent from Vietnam to an adoptive American family. "
— Janet, 11/28/2011 -
" A book in verse which isn't usually my favorite format, but this one was well done with an interesting story that I think most young readers would be unfamiliar with. "
— Julie, 10/20/2011 -
" I love the way Matt's story slowly unfolds in verse along with the stories of several other characters and all the broken pieces fall into place. "
— Joan, 9/6/2011 -
" A very touching story! A quick read that is definitely worth reading. "
— Claudia, 8/6/2011 -
" This was a quick read about some boys and the Vietnam War. It was very moving. The seventh grade literature class at my school read it too. "
— Ann, 6/22/2011 -
" Very good. Need kleenex handy. It really starts to open the mind to the things people on both sides of the Veitnam War went through when they returned to American and how people recieved them, both positively and negitively. "
— La, 6/6/2011 -
" Another novel in verse for National Poetry month about a boy who is a refugee from Vietnam shortly after the Vietnam War who is coming to terms with his past and his adoptive family. He loves playing the piano and baseball, which makes this an unusual story! "
— Mari, 5/26/2011 -
" Another amazing free verse novel! Absolutely loved it. :) "
— Imani, 5/21/2011 -
" This book shows you how awful that Vietnam War was and how it affected people for the rest of their lives physically and mentally with all the images of bombs dropping from the sky like dead crows and bullets raining down. It's and really good book to read "
— Adam, 5/17/2011 -
" I'm beginning to think that all the really good writers are writing childrens book. "
— Bonnie, 4/29/2011 -
" I read this in one long afternoon. It will pull you in from the first page. It is a novel-in-verse, but it reads so deeply. I cried at the end. For reluctant readers and ages 11 and up. "
— Jane, 4/23/2011 -
" A beautifully written book. A must read for middle school. I'd love to pair it with Edwards Eyes. So many connections can be made between the two texts. "
— Linda, 4/23/2011 -
" I love the way Matt's story slowly unfolds in verse along with the stories of several other characters and all the broken pieces fall into place. "
— Joan, 4/9/2011 -
" Teaching Vietnam (impact in U.S.) in middle school. "
— Sarah, 4/8/2011