Robin "Birdy" Perry went against his dad's wishes and joined the army. he is now serving a tour at the beginning of the Iraqi war. Bad things happen and so do good things. He bonds with his fellow soldiers who dub him "Birdy" and he writes frequently to his parents and uncle. But he is a long way from Harlem and has a lot to learn. He sees people die and he sees people live but the book ultimately shows that people are people anywere. Tehnically a sequel to "Fallen Angels" it seems to stand alone. I never read the first book and I don't feel lost (the uncle he writes to, I believe is a character in "Fallen Angels."). Myers seems to show a fairly balanced view of the war, the good and the bad but it is a story not of politics but of the soldiers who are there day to day, streches of boredom, times of sheer terror and what it is like to lose those you have come to count on and consider family. Good book but I say maybe to TU for now.
2 comments:
I think this is an important book because books about the reality of war are always important, IMHO. Teens need to know that going to war is about death and destruction, not just patriotism and glory. That said, this book wasn't that great for me. Not much of a plot. I listened to it so maybe it would have been different if I read it, but I give it a nay.
I really do want to like this book, and I did like it OK, but I've been slogging through it for about a month now (which indicates to me I don't like it as much as I want to!) I give it a NAY
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