88 pages • 2 hours read
Ann E. BurgAll the Broken Pieces
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2009A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Essay Topics
In your opinion, why did Ann E. Burg choose to write All the Broken Pieces in a free verse style? How does the verse format contribute to the story Burg tells, and what might have been lost by condensing the story into verse? Do you believe the author chose the best possible form for her story?
In the opening pages of the novel, Matt thinks that if he is safe, “How can I / be home?” (12). Why does Matt believe that safety and home are not compatible? How does Matt’s childhood in Vietnam affect his ability to adapt to life in America, and how does he attempt to find a secure place in his new country as the novel continues?
Matt says that his Vietnam is “only / a pocketful / of broken pieces / I carry / inside me” (23). Describe Matt’s perspective of Vietnam and how it is revealed throughout the novel. How does Matt’s experience of Vietnam compare to those of other characters in the novel? Does Matt’s view of his home country change throughout the novel, and if so, how?
Discuss Matt’s relationships with his American parents. How do Matt’s adoptive parents attempt to support him, and why is Matt sometimes unable to receive that support? Are there any ways in which Matt’s adoptive family falls short? How does Matt’s relationship with his new family change during the course of the novel?
In All the Broken Pieces, Matt participates in two important activities, piano lessons and baseball. Choose one of Matt’s two pursuits and examine its impact on his development throughout the novel. How do these activities relate to the larger themes of the book?
Both Matt and the Vietnam War veterans he comes to know are the targets of discrimination and judgment throughout the novel. Compare and contrast Matt’s experience with that of the veterans. How do Matt and the vets help each other to deal with their traumatic pasts and present difficulties?
All the Broken Pieces includes several different relationships between brothers—Matt and Tommy, Matt and Huu Hein, Rob and his older brother. How do these relationships parallel each other, and in what ways do they differ? How do these relationships reflect larger themes of guilt, love, and the damaging effects of war?
In a climactic scene near the end of the novel, both Rob and Matt share memories of their past and move from hatred and misunderstanding toward a more positive relationship. Discuss how Matt finds the strength to communicate with Rob, and how doing so heals the rift between them. How does this scene help Matt to grow as an individual, and what effect does it have on Matt’s community?
Examine Matt’s relationship with one of his mentors and role models in the novel—Coach Robeson, Coach Williams, or Jeff Harding. What lessons does this character teach Matt? Does Matt teach this character any lessons in return? How does their relationship further the themes of the novel?
While Burg mentions that the Vietnam War was a “divisive” (144) one, neither she nor her characters make any clear judgments about whether the U.S. made the right choice by entering the war. Why does the author choose not to address the politics of the Vietnam War in depth in her novel? How might a political message have added to or detracted from the book? If this novel had been set during a different, less politically divisive war, how might it have been different, and how would it have remained the same?
