Purple Heart

When Private Matt Duffy wakes up in an army hospital in Iraq, he's honored with a Purple Heart. But he doesn't feel like a hero.

There's a memory that haunts him: an image of a young Iraqi boy as a bullet hits his chest. Matt can't shake the feeling that he was somehow involved in his death. But because of a head injury he sustained just moments after the boy was shot, Matt can't quite put all the pieces together.

Eventually Matt is sent back into combat with his squad amp;mdash; Justin, Wolf, and Charlene amp;mdash; the soldiers who have become his family during his time in Iraq. He just wants to go back to being the soldier he once was. But he sees potential threats everywhere and lives in fear of not being able to pull the trigger when the time comes. In combat there is no black-and-white, and Matt soon discovers that the notion of who is guilty is very complicated indeed.

National Book Award Finalist Patricia McCormick has written a visceral and compelling portrait of life in a war zone, where loyalty is valued above all, and death is terrifyingly commonplace.

A HarperAudio production.

1100151149
Purple Heart

When Private Matt Duffy wakes up in an army hospital in Iraq, he's honored with a Purple Heart. But he doesn't feel like a hero.

There's a memory that haunts him: an image of a young Iraqi boy as a bullet hits his chest. Matt can't shake the feeling that he was somehow involved in his death. But because of a head injury he sustained just moments after the boy was shot, Matt can't quite put all the pieces together.

Eventually Matt is sent back into combat with his squad amp;mdash; Justin, Wolf, and Charlene amp;mdash; the soldiers who have become his family during his time in Iraq. He just wants to go back to being the soldier he once was. But he sees potential threats everywhere and lives in fear of not being able to pull the trigger when the time comes. In combat there is no black-and-white, and Matt soon discovers that the notion of who is guilty is very complicated indeed.

National Book Award Finalist Patricia McCormick has written a visceral and compelling portrait of life in a war zone, where loyalty is valued above all, and death is terrifyingly commonplace.

A HarperAudio production.

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Purple Heart

Purple Heart

by Patricia McCormick

Narrated by Adam Verner

Unabridged — 4 hours, 23 minutes

Purple Heart

Purple Heart

by Patricia McCormick

Narrated by Adam Verner

Unabridged — 4 hours, 23 minutes

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Overview

When Private Matt Duffy wakes up in an army hospital in Iraq, he's honored with a Purple Heart. But he doesn't feel like a hero.

There's a memory that haunts him: an image of a young Iraqi boy as a bullet hits his chest. Matt can't shake the feeling that he was somehow involved in his death. But because of a head injury he sustained just moments after the boy was shot, Matt can't quite put all the pieces together.

Eventually Matt is sent back into combat with his squad amp;mdash; Justin, Wolf, and Charlene amp;mdash; the soldiers who have become his family during his time in Iraq. He just wants to go back to being the soldier he once was. But he sees potential threats everywhere and lives in fear of not being able to pull the trigger when the time comes. In combat there is no black-and-white, and Matt soon discovers that the notion of who is guilty is very complicated indeed.

National Book Award Finalist Patricia McCormick has written a visceral and compelling portrait of life in a war zone, where loyalty is valued above all, and death is terrifyingly commonplace.

A HarperAudio production.


Editorial Reviews

Bob Woodruff

Many of the soldiers in Iraq were not yet teenagers when this war began. What they and the children of Iraq are experiencing is not a political issue-it’s a human issue. PURPLE HEART is a visceral and affecting portrait of their world.

ALA Booklist

Gripping details of existence in a war zone bring this to life.

Barbara A. Ward

Eighteen-year-old American soldier Matt Duffy is haunted by the memory of a young Iraqi boy killed while he and a buddy were patrolling a city street. The bits and pieces of what may have happened become clearer as he recovers from his traumatic brain injury in a military hospital. As he comes closer to the truth, he is no longer sure whether he can even trust himself, much less his superiors, who seem reluctant to examine the incident too closely. Despite the betrayal he feels, he remains convinced that there is humanity in everyone—even his enemies. The book raises many questions about loyalty, war, and those left behind, as Matt ponders the difference between his own daily existence and need to be constantly on guard versus his high school girlfriend's life, in which the biggest worry is a biology test. Especially effective is the juxtaposition between the soldiers at play and at war. Reviewer: Barbara A. Ward

School Library Journal

Gr 9 Up—TBI. These three initials haunt Private Matt Duffy as he awakes in the army hospital in Iraq. They stand for traumatic brain injury, and Matt remembers little of the attack that landed him in the hospital, although he experiences flashbacks in which he sees a young boy being shot. Eventually he is sent back into combat and rejoins his unit, but he must come to terms with his injury and the reasons behind the attack. Patricia McCormick's novel (HarperCollins/Blazer & Bray, 2009) is another great example of her ability to relate unimaginable situations to teen readers as she tackles the subject with sensitivity and honesty. The situation in Iraq and the soldier's experiences are captured perfectly. James Colby's no-nonsense, gruff style creates the perfect voice of a soldier. The way he expresses the feelings of the soldiers perfectly reflects the military image of well-contained emotions. The ties that bind the soldiers together and the loss they feel when one of their own is killed will keep listeners' attention and make the horrors of war even more palpable. The strong language and violent situations adds to the story's realism. The quick pace makes this perfect for reluctant readers, particularly male teens. Give this to fans of Walter Dean Myers's Sunrise Over Fallujah (Scholastic, 2008).—Sarah Flood, Breckinridge County Public Library, Hardinsburg, KY

Product Details

BN ID: 2940173513991
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date: 11/15/2019
Edition description: Unabridged
Age Range: 12 - 17 Years
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