Paco's Story Readalong Week 1
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This is week 1 of the Paco's Story read-a-long, and the first discussion questions were posted on Wednesday, July 7 for Chapters 1 and 2.
Paco's Story is about the soul survivor of the Fire Base Harriette massacre where Alpha Company was obliterated. Heinemann's writing is raw and honest, and in the first Chapters we're introduced to Paco through an unnamed narrator, who could be the ghost of a soldier killed in action during the massacre. Readers learn that Paco is the soul survivor from Alpha Company, and his survival had a serious impact on a medic who until he met Paco had failed to save many soldiers injured in the Vietnam War.
The unnamed narrator is brutal in his honesty about Paco's injuries and the devastation suffered by soldiers in the field. He wants to tell his story, Paco's story, even if people are unprepared to hear it or don't want to hear it at all. This is a story that must be told. I wonder if that is how Heinemann felt while he was writing this novel -- did he believe that this story was his calling, something he had to tell.
Even if you aren't participating in the Vietnam War Reading Challenge, we hope that you will join us for the Paco's Story read-a-long. Until next week.