I'm a sucker for a good war story-- whether it's a movie or a book-- if there's guts and glory, I'm there. Some of my past favorite war stories have included: Fallen Angels (book), "We Were Soldiers" (movie based on the book named: "When we were soldiers once and young"), Platoon (movie), Apocalypse Now (movie), Rambo I, II & III, Saving Private Ryan, Band of Brothers (book & tv movie series), Black Hawk Down (book & movie), All Quiet on the Western Front (book is best, but there's an old version of the movie too), The Hurt Locker (movie) and of course, Jarhead (movie & book). There are lots of other good ones out there, but these are probably the most heavily quoted (whether from the book or the movie), particularly among those within the services as well as those military nuts. I'd say I'm just a mild military buff, since I actually planned to be in the military until an unexpected injury disqualified me partially through my college ROTC experience, so I don't want to be known as one of those weird-hangers-on, but have always had that genuine interest in the physical fitness, tactics and the "toys". Also, with many college friends and several family members associated with the military (Army, Navy & Air Force), I take my war literature very seriously and read it skeptically. Thus, when I saw the title "Purple Heart" by Patricia McCormick, I was curious because I hadn't hear of the book, but I knew McCormick was reputable because I'd read a few of her other novels ("Sold" and "Cut").I picked up "Purple Heart" hoping for some excitement and to be reminded of my friends and family and the commaraderie that comes along with the experiences of the service. While my time and experiences were limited with the military, the commaradie is what is missed the most, so I was curious if McCormick could get this feeling just right without being cliched. And? I was pleasantly surprised. I didn't feel like the book was a glorification of war and yet I didn't feel that she was being preachy against it either. This is one aspect I've really respected her previous novels as well-- she merely presents the story and lets the reader decided one way or another about the situation-- and I think this is a valuable skill to have as a writer. McCormick creates interest in the main characters through the common experiences of being hurt, caring about others, feeling isolated from others, and by desiring the truth to better understand oneself.
I really enjoyed this story the more I think about it because it didn't throw in a bunch of unnecessary conflicts. Instead, the conflict was simple: Matt, the protagonist, wakes up in a hospital in the Green Zone (also a war flick featuring Matt Damon) and he can't remember exactly how he got there, but he's been told he has a traumatic brain injury (TBI). He begins to do some therapy to try to bring back the memories, but mostly the therapy is to get him back in shape to go back out with his unit. While the doctors obviously want him to recover, it becomes more obvious that the military also realizes they need to get soldiers back out into the field to get the most of their investments. McCormick describes the mundane conversations-- and the comical ones too- that make up Matt's recovery time. She also describes Matt's inability to navigate the halls himself and how he demonstrates the type of prideful displays so many of us use, by not asking for help and by trying to cover our weaknesses. I found myself thinking, "Why doesn't someone just stop to help him or even escort him to and from the therapist appointments?! Come on, he's got a TBI! They should know better! If the therapist knows he can't remember basic words at times, why wouldn't she think to have him escorted?"
The longer Matt works on gaining all of his function back, the more of the situation he remembers. He is also told what happened (according to his battle buddy) by one of his commanding officers. Matt also realizes there are pieces of this story that don't add up, but he's a bit scared to know what the truth is and he realizes that the CO probably doesn't want to dig any further into the story because then he'd have to file paperwork and/or do something about it. While this may sound like the CO wants Matt to lie, instead it becomes apparent that sometimes authority uses this "blind eye" tactic to give subordinates the benefit of the doubt as well as avoid doling out punishments. I thought this was an interesting insight and it was very reflective of how such relationships sometimes work and they can work to benefit both parties (the employer and the employee).
Matt does get the chance to face his old battle buddy and he does find out the truth-- but while in a tricky situation. (I don't have the heart to ruin it for you!). I appreciated how satisfying the ending of the story was in that it dealt with heavy topics, but McCormick made sure to keep it light by including lots of typical military humor (and/or humor typical of soldiers) such as Chuck Norris jokes and jokes questioning masculinity and machismo. I also enjoyed that the story was just a snippet of the war experience too. It didn't try to cover everything-- which is something that many war stories try and then they run the risk of losing the audience because of the length and cumbersome seriousness. Overall, this read would be perfect for young adults exploring some of the options that the military can offer-- including the moral dilemmas encompassing "fighting for peace."
No comments:
Post a Comment