Review of Fragments

[Neshboy Aburi]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Fragments" by Bruce K. Berger.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Fifty years after the end of the Vietnam War, a veteran of this war sat down and immortalized his memories of the unpopular war into this collection of poems. Bruce K. Berger correctly named the book Fragments, a title that most precisely points to the true essence of the book. Like broken pieces of an object, Fragments is a book about broken dreams, shattered minds, and wasted lives. Above all, this collection of poems is a cry for help, recognition, and understanding by this useless war's victims and their families, including the soldiers themselves.

For authenticity, Bruce acknowledges that he was an infantry soldier and later served at the Casualty Branch of the 101st Airborne Division at Camp Eagle near Phu Bai in Vietnam. At his vantage position as a next-of-kin editor, Bruce's job was to write sympathy letters to the families of deceased soldiers.

The poems cover a wide range both in topic and style. There are sad and emotional depictions of the atrocities of war, as exemplified by a poem named “Widow's Village,” where a village's only remaining occupants are widowed wives and children of dead Vietnamese men. Another one called “Pictures” is a tragic piece where the aftermath of an airstrike is detailed. On the other end of the emotional spectrum, lighter poems like “Butterfly Blues” provide a scenic description of the war theater before the battle begins.

As for the writing style, this author used free-flowing and simple verses for the larger part of the book, but things turn a little interesting in the later sections. The last section of the book talks about the long-term psychological effects of the war on the soldiers. PTSD is one of the topics, and this author has used an unusual style to depict its impact on soldiers. There are no punctuations in this section, and I found this unique style admirable while also demanding in terms of concentration.

My favorite poem was “Old Man.” Symbolism and imagery were the outstanding features of this poem. Older men usually represent wisdom. The author uses this older man to depict how the Vietnamese feel about the US military intrusion into their country. He goes to the extent of comparing French and American soldiers, with the Americans ranking a distant last in terms of discipline and understanding of Vietnamese history. The author further implies that the Americans knowingly engaged in an unwinnable war—to the detriment of the locals, who had no say in the decision to invade their country.

The illustrations accompanying the poems are also quite engaging since they provoke the reader's imagination as one seeks to decipher their meaning. They complement the words of the poems very well, and I had an exciting time following the story told by the pictures and paintings. The correct use of symbolism, imagery, and metaphors, including the informative content of the book, was my favorite element of this book. On the other hand, there was nothing really to dislike in this book. I also found no noticeable errors, and I can only conclude that the editorial work was done professionally.

As for the rating, this book surely deserves four out of four stars. My reasons for the high rating are that I found this collection of 34 poems to be true and accurate, including the fact that the poems are simple, written expertly, and easy to read and understand. The lovely paintings and photographs also played a significant role since I felt that they would tell a similar story to the poems had this author published them as a stand-alone graphic novel. As for the recommended audience, this book will suit mature people who appreciate good poetry on historical matters and are also comfortable with graphic descriptions of war, including language that could be termed sexually explicit.

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Fragments
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[Asma Aisha Ansari]

It's unfortunate that we realise what wars cost us only when it's too late. The author has done a great job addressing the futility of wars through this poetry collection.
Thanks for this wonderful review.

[J Edwards]

I also read this book and I too concluded that Americans messed up by engaging this unpopular war. I also liked all the useful details that this author told about this war since the sources were actual witnesses. Thanks for your good review.

[Neshboy Aburi]

It's unfortunate that we realise what wars cost us only when it's too late. The author has done a great job addressing the futility of wars through this poetry collection.
Thanks for this wonderful review.

Yeah war was never the solution to anything. Thanks for stopping by.

[Neshboy Aburi]

I also read this book and I too concluded that Americans messed up by engaging this unpopular war. I also liked all the useful details that this author told about this war since the sources were actual witnesses. Thanks for your good review.

Yeah, the Vietnamese never really wanted the Americans on their soil. Thanks for stopping by.

[NancyDrew12]

I usually don't read books about war but this one seems interesting. Thanks for a lovey review!

[Ailakhu Yusau Aizhebiomon]

I enjoy reading war novels and wouldn't mind reading this. Great review!

[zainherb]

This is a lovely review. I too read this book and agree with you on all counts. Your review is a refreshing viewpoint on this book and tells me some things I did not pay attention to.
Well done.

[Paluk Pathania]

War is never an option to anything. I wish if people would have thought about it sooner. But also as I am very interested in stories related to wars, I am looking forward to read it. Great job with the review, thanks!^^

[Amynwankwo_]

I love how the author has used poetry to describe the atrocities of war. The poems seem to have been written beautifully and I would love to check it out. Thanks for your review.

[Prisallen]

This sounds like a heart-rendering book as your review of it made me want to cry for the country and for the soldiers being forced to commit atrocities that they didn't want to do. I hope writing these poems is healing for the author. Thanks for an excellent review!

[Prarthna]

This seems to be a touching collection of poems. I like that author included painting and pictures in his book. Thanks for the great review!

[Hana_Fabro]

I liked how the author gives this book a title; simple and direct. Thanks for sharing this wonderful review.