Sunrise Over Fallujah [Hardcover]

Walter Dean Myers (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 2008

Operation Iraqi Freedom, that's the code name. But the young men and women in the military's Civil Affairs Battalion have a simpler name for it: WAR.

In this new novel, Walter Dean Myers looks at a contemporary war with the same power and searing insight he brought to the Vietnam war of his classic, FALLEN ANGELS. He creates memorable characters like the book's narrator, Birdy, a young recruit from Harlem who's questioning why he even enlisted; Marla, a blond, tough-talking, wisecracking gunner; Jonesy, a guitar-playing bluesman who just wants to make it back to Georgia and open a club;

and a whole unit of other young men and women and drops them incountry in Iraq, where they are supposed to help secure and stabilize Iraq and successfully interact with the Iraqi people. The young civil affairs soldiers soon find their definition of "winning" ever more elusive and their good intentions being replaced by terms like "survival" and "despair."

Caught in the crossfire, Myers' richly rendered characters are just beginning to understand the meaning of war in this powerful, realistic novel of our times.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Robin's parents aspire for him to go to college, but following September 11, he feels compelled to join the Army instead. By early 2003, Robin has completed Basic Training and is deployed to Iraq where he becomes part of a Civil Affairs Unit charged with building the trust of the Iraqi people to minimize fighting. Civil Affairs soldiers are often put into deadly situations to test the waters, and Robin finds that the people in his unit, who nickname him "Birdy," are the only ones he can trust. Robin quickly learns that the situation in Iraq will not be resolved easily and that much of what is happening there will never make the news. Facing the horrors of war, Robin tries to remain hopeful and comforting in his letters to his family, never showing his fear or the danger he actually faces. The story of teenagers going to war today is an important one, and it is not told often enough. Myers writes an important book to have in any collection to recognize that many teens will choose to join the military instead of, or before, going on to college. Robin is only eighteen, and it is difficult to watch his innocence erased as war leaves its mark on him, but it is the reality for many young men and women. This fine book could be included with a unit on current events and is a good choice for boys. Reviewer: Stephanie Petruso
April 2008 (Vol. 31, No. 1) --Voya

In 2003, in the early days of Operation Iraqi Freedom, young Robin Perry already wonders about "an enemy we can't identify and friends we're not sure about." Myers dedicates this novel to the men and women who serve in the United States Armed Services and to their families, and he offers a powerful study of the strange war they have been sent to fight, where confusion and randomness rule. Why are they fighting? Whom are they fighting? When will they be hit next? Narrated by Robin, nephew of Richie Perry, the main character of the landmark Fallen Angels (1988), this companion expertly evokes the beauty of Iraq and the ugliness of war. Given the paucity of works on this war, this is an important volume, covering much ground and offering much insight. Robin's eventual understanding that his experience was not about winning or losing the war but about "reaching for the highest idea of life" makes this a worthy successor to Myers's Coretta Scott King Award-winning classic. (map, glossary) (Fiction. 12+) --Kirkus

About the Author

WALTER DEAN MYERS has been writing critically acclaimed novels for children and young adults for nearly forty years. His many awards include two Newbery Honors, five Coretta Scott King Awards, and the Michael L. Printz Award. He lives in Jersey City, New Jersey.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic Press (April 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0439916240
• ISBN-13: 978-0439916240
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 6.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #105,521 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Walter Dean Myers is a New York Times bestselling and critically acclaimed author who has garnered much respect and admiration for his fiction, nonfiction, and poetry for young people. Winner of the first Michael L. Printz Award, he is considered one of the preeminent writers for children. He lives in Jersey City, New Jersey, with his family.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too, May 30, 2008

By 

TeensReadToo "Eat. Drink. Read. Be Merrier." (All Over the US & Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sunrise Over Fallujah (Hardcover)

The Iraq War, in the news now for years, is the focus of SUNRISE OVER FALLUJAH, the latest book by veteran YA author Walter Dean Myers. He has written other war stories, but this newest one expresses the controversy and mixed emotions Iraq has generated among so many.

Robin Perry, aka Birdy, has made the decision to enlist. Certain members of his family have expressed their concern and even disapproval of Robin's decision to serve. Through occasional letters to family members, readers learn about many of Robin's wartime experiences.

As part of a unit assigned to handle civil matters with the Iraqi people, Robin and his fellow soldiers still see all angles of military action. The endless lines of army and marine vehicles traveling toward Baghdad, the choking sand storms, the frightening IED explosions, and grieving soldiers and civilians all combine to illustrate the horrors of war.

Robin's feelings about the senselessness of the war are clearly expressed. As the events of his tour of duty unfold, he realizes if asked whether the Americans were winning or losing, he would find the question unanswerable. The promise of a quick return home for the troops turns into delay after delay as it becomes obvious that Saddam's reign may have ended, but many more deep-seated problems exist in war-torn Iraq.

Although the story of SUNRISE OVER FALLUJAH is a mere glimpse of the action through the eyes of few, Myers has created a chance for teens to learn about a war that has filled their days much as the Vietnam War became part of the lives of teens some thirty years ago.

Reviewed by: Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky"

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sunrise over Fallujah, October 12, 2008

By 

Kirsten G. Cutler (Santa Rosa, California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sunrise Over Fallujah (Hardcover)

Myers, Walter Dean. Sunrise Over Fallujah. Scholastic Press. 2008.
This is a poignant story about a young black soldier from Harlem, New York who is sent to Iraq in the early days of the war; and although fiction, his impressions, experiences and friendships portray vividly the emotional tension of a war zone. The book begins with a heartfelt letter that Robin "Birdy" Perry writes to his Uncle Richie, a Vietnam vet. "Birdy" explains that he wanted to help his country after 911 and he thought that his war experience would be different from that of his Uncle who had to deal with anger from his fellow Americans when he returned home. He asks his Uncle to help his father understand why he needs to fight for his country. Contemporary language and realistic interactions lend immediacy to this dramatic story that reveals the powerful friendships and conflicts that can arise amidst the affecting life and death backdrop of war.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book for "Fallen Angles" fans!, December 13, 2008

By 

Annis (Perkasie, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sunrise Over Fallujah (Hardcover)

If you like "Fallen Angles" or just all around War/History books then you should get this. It's about Robin "Birdy" Perry who is the nephew of Richard Perry (the main character in "Fallen Angles"). Robin joins the Iraq War and realizes what his uncle went though in Vietnam. In the end he sees what really goes on in wars.