Sunrise over Fallujah by Walter Dean Myers

From the Publisher

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.

The New York Times - Leonard S. Marcus

Birdy and his fellow soldiers find themselves in a perplexing hall of mirrors, and we as readers are embedded with them…This is an astonishing book.

Children's Literature

The army is a different place from when Robin, a.k.a. "Birdie," Perry's Uncle Richie (Fallen Angels) fought in Vietnam. Birdie may eat MRE's and fight alongside female soldiers, but like his uncle, he is still a young soldier willing to fight for his country, yet uncertain who he is fighting and even why. Myers skillfully displays the ugly realities of the battlefield, while honoring the heroics of those in the trenches. Interspersed within the first person narrative are letters from Birdie to his parents and his uncle. Birdie shields his parents from the daily hazards of war but writes to his uncle as a fellow soldier. These letters highlight an important theme in the book—the conflict between what the media portrays and what the soldiers actually experience. Myers creates suspense in the tension between monotony and adrenaline-producing battle scenes. Birdie and his companions are rich and complex characters—each struggles with his or her own fears and worries. Their reasons for being in Iraq are diverse as are their reactions to the war around them. This book could serve as an excellent starting point for a discussion about the Iraq War. With its companion, Fallen Angels, teachers can compare and contrast the Vietnam and Iraq Wars. Reviewer: Heather Christensen

VOYA

AGERANGE: Ages 12 to 18.

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)

Kirkus Reviews

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+)

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