The story “All the Broken Pieces” is about a 12-year-old Vietnamese boy named Matt who has nightmares and is troubled by his mother’s decision to give him away at age 10. He is confused as to why she did not do the same with his brother. Matt also wonders if his American parents will bring him back together with his brother or send him back to their mother. However, he finds comfort in joining a baseball team, drawing on his past experience playing the sport in Vietnam.
There is a kid on Matt’s baseball team with whom he has trouble getting along. The reason for this is because the kid’s brother was killed in the war by the Vietnamese people. However, their coach intervened and made them work together. Despite this, Matt still faces difficulties with his fears and nightmares. He confided in his piano teacher, who happened to be a US soldier in the Vietnam war. The piano teacher then took Matt to a veterans support group, where he learned that there were different perspectives on the war. Additionally, Matt discovered why his mother had given him away, although he still doesn’t fully comprehend her decision.
During one summer, Matt experiences a considerable amount of emotional distress and ultimately learns how to love his new family while still cherishing his first one. I absolutely enjoyed reading the book “All the Broken Pieces,” although it was challenging to comprehend as it felt like reading a series of poems. However, when I reached the conclusion of the book, I realized it serves as a narrative that sheds light on the other side and the events that transpired during Matt’s early childhood, which he cannot recall due to his young age at the time. The book delves into Vietnam War facts, including President Gerald Ford’s announcement to evacuate 2,000 orphans, many of whom were Amerasian.
Following a tragic accident near Saigon, which sadly claimed the lives of 144 individuals, mainly children, Operation Baby lift was initiated. At the site, South Vietnamese soldiers and civilians gathered with different motives – some offering assistance while others looted from the victims. However, despite this devastating incident, the evacuation operation continued for another three weeks. Despite conflicting accounts, around 1,200 children were successfully airlifted to safety within the next 24 hours on different aircraft. This included 40 survivors from the mentioned crash.
The majority of the children were placed in Catholic orphanages in the United States. Many of them were later adopted by families from the United States, Canada, and France. The focus of the book is on Matt’s adoption journey and his relocation to America from Vietnam. Matt extensively researched the war events and the reasons behind his family’s decision to let him be taken by Americans and placed in an orphanage. This story is closely intertwined with this topic as Matt encounters a soldier who explains that his family made this choice to safeguard him from the challenges and potential hazards of the war.
Matt realized that his family’s goal was to give him a brighter future. In relation to this, I discovered a notable connection between my research and the details mentioned in the books about the Vietnam War. A specific example of this similarity occurred when a helicopter landed nearby them. Just before leaving, Matt’s mother pleaded with soldiers to take him to the United States. Based on my findings, many families entreated soldiers to bring their children and sometimes even their entire families to America as a way to escape from the turmoil in Vietnam.
