Read what others are saying…
April 21, 2009
Thank you for visiting our site.
How Can You Mend This Purple Heart was forty years in the making. Actually, it took thirty years to “talk it out loud” and another ten to get it down on paper.
Now that it’s finished, we want to hear how you feel about the book–the story–and how it may have affected you.
Also, please check out our “About” page and the “Links” page for more information about the book and current information for Veterans.
A quick note to anyone who wants to order more than one book for more than one recipient; simply type the name of the first recipient in the window box, follow it with a comma and type the next recipient’s name. For example, John Doe, Mary Doe, etc.
Thank you for your interest in the story and thanks to all of our Veterans.
Comments
8 Responses to “Read what others are saying…”
Got something to say?
I am not much of a reader. Most of the time I would rather “wait for the movie”. When I started reading “How Can You Mend…..”, I was immediately connected to the characters. The stories pulled me in and made me laugh, tear up and really think about the lives of these young men. Although this is a time and a world that I will never truly understand, T.L. Gould has portrayed it in such a way that I felt like I was there in the hospital experiencing it all with these guys. I really feel like I occupied one of the beds on 2B and eventually Q ward and watched it all happen. Thanks so much for the trip on this time machine. I loved it!
“How Can You Mend This Purple Heart” was a difficult book for me to read. The incidents in 2B were extremely graphic, and I had to take breaks to keep from just quitting the reading altogether. It was compelling however, and I felt that the graphic content gave it it’s credibility. Unpleasant things are not made better by glossing over them, they can only be dealt with by facing the unpleasantness, then putting it in it’s place. Without the incidents of 2B, the story wouldn’t have had any meaning. The setting was the Viet Nam era, but it transcends all military eras. War is hell, and always has been. No one knows that better than the military. The lighter moments in the Q ward were welcome balance. Overall, the book exemplifies the military experience, I recommend it as a great read for anyone that wants to understand the military experience. Thank you for all the blood, sweat, and tears, that you put into it, Terry.
There aren’t many books that can make you laugh and also make you cry - sometimes laughing through sorrow and crying out of joy - but Terry has crafted just such a story.
Though I am far removed from the time period of this story, I had no trouble identifying and empathizing with every character. I was frustrated with them, sad with them, joyous with them, the same as if they were my own friends or family. I recommend this book to anyone and everyone.
I don’t consider myself a huge reader, however after receiving my copy of How Can You Mend This Purple Heart I couldn’t put it down. Terry Gould has written a very gripping story relating the events of the Vietnam era. There were many times I wondered how the wounded maintained their sanity. I’ve always felt these servicemen deserved recognition and I applaud Terry’s contribution in this indeavor.. I would highly recommend this book to all who are interested in a very difficult time in our history. Great job, Terry….. Thank you
This book struck a note with me as I grew up during the Vietnam era. The Vietnam Vets never received the welcome, adulation and thanks they deserved. “How Can You Mend This Purple Heart” brings to life the continuous struggles these men deal with even today because they fought for me. T.L. Gould awakened in me a desire to learn more about these men. I would love to sit down and talk to any Vietnam Vet though I know many still do not want to talk about their experience. In this regard, T.L. has given me a chance to see inside and get a glimpse of their thoughts and lives. I thank you T.L.. for that gift.
Got your book Friday and came down with a nasty cough about the same time so my “reading hours” got expanded because I couldn’t sleep…
Net result is that I just finished it this evening. Of course you have me at a disadvantage because, but for the fact that I was segregated from the ward because I was a Warrant Officer, I could have been one of the characters in your book… in fact, I rather felt like I was as the memories of the 6 months as an in-patient in Japan and Ft. Knox came flooding back.
VERY WELL DONE! You have succeeded in honoring us all with your sensitive and humble recall of your time at the Philly Hosp… The interesting thing is that your “noncombat MF’r” status is likely the only way this story could be told… So you were there with a definite purpose. You could not have “planned” to infiltrate 2B for the time you spent, nor would the story have had the power if you had been one of them. (which you really were)
You honored them then with your presence and you honor them now by the telling.
Great style…if you write anything else, let me know!
Wow! T.L. Gould’s book, “How Can You Mend This Purple Heart,” is riveting, searing — and uniquely comical. His unadorned, tell-it-like-it-was style is refreshingly real. A great gift, I suspect, to veterans, may it help to heal all who read it and especially those who had the courage to live it.
I really enjoyed reading the book. I became very attached to the characters. At times, I felt like I was in the hospital with the guys. The book gives us a better understanding of wounded veterans, which many of us have forgotten about many years ago. I hope the book gets turned into a movie.