Title: Sunrise Over Fallujah
Author: Walter Dean Myers
Publisher: Scholatic Press
Genre: Historical Fiction
Number of Pages: 290 pages
Discovery of Book: Charlotte Huck's Childhood Literature
Reading Level: Lexile Level: 780
Awards: Booklist, Horn Book starred, Kirkus Reviewed starred, Library Media Connection starred, Publishers Weekly starred, School Library Journal starred, Wilson's Junior High School, Wilson's Senior High School
Summary: Sunrise Over Fallujah is a powerful interpretation of the life of an 18 year old American solider in Iraq during the height of combat in 2003. Robin "Birdy" Perry felt that it was his civilian duty to join the United States Army after the terrorist attacks on September 11th, 2001. After completing basic training, Birdy entered Iraq not too sure of what to expect. Over time he learns that war is brutal, unfair, and filled to the brim with unpleasantries. He watches as his comrades die, his fellow country men kill innocent civilians, and the United States taints their name as a reputable nation.
Personal Connection: Any wartime book can be difficult to read. Sunrise Over Fallujah was no exception. Each page leaves the reader feeling a deep internal struggle about the value of war, freedom, and human life. At one point during the story, Birdy is visiting a woman in a particular village. The men and boys of her town had just boarded a van to follow the Ba'athists, or Nationalist Mob run by the Saddam party, to Baghdad to get their orders. As the van was pulling away, an American fighter plane zeroed in on the van, shot a missile, destroying the truck and the men in it on impact. The women and children proudly watching their husbands, fathers, and sons ride into town to report for duty soon found themselves in despair as there was nothing left of the van or men in it. This piece of text truly struck me, causing me to deeply question what was our true purpose for occupying Iraq?
Evaluation/Analysis: Sunrise Over Fallujah allows students from the fourth grade and beyond to become immersed in a story that could be currently affecting many of their families. This brilliant historical fiction invites students to understand what is happening in their current world as they wake up in their warm beds, go to school, and come home safely each night. Sunrise Over Fallujah would be a great way to supplement research about the War on Terror to help students determine if this time period is truly a holocaust. Students will also be able to form their own opinions about war, its importance, and its influence on society as a whole.
Author: Walter Dean Myers
Publisher: Scholatic Press
Genre: Historical Fiction
Number of Pages: 290 pages
Discovery of Book: Charlotte Huck's Childhood Literature
Reading Level: Lexile Level: 780
Awards: Booklist, Horn Book starred, Kirkus Reviewed starred, Library Media Connection starred, Publishers Weekly starred, School Library Journal starred, Wilson's Junior High School, Wilson's Senior High School
Summary: Sunrise Over Fallujah is a powerful interpretation of the life of an 18 year old American solider in Iraq during the height of combat in 2003. Robin "Birdy" Perry felt that it was his civilian duty to join the United States Army after the terrorist attacks on September 11th, 2001. After completing basic training, Birdy entered Iraq not too sure of what to expect. Over time he learns that war is brutal, unfair, and filled to the brim with unpleasantries. He watches as his comrades die, his fellow country men kill innocent civilians, and the United States taints their name as a reputable nation.
Personal Connection: Any wartime book can be difficult to read. Sunrise Over Fallujah was no exception. Each page leaves the reader feeling a deep internal struggle about the value of war, freedom, and human life. At one point during the story, Birdy is visiting a woman in a particular village. The men and boys of her town had just boarded a van to follow the Ba'athists, or Nationalist Mob run by the Saddam party, to Baghdad to get their orders. As the van was pulling away, an American fighter plane zeroed in on the van, shot a missile, destroying the truck and the men in it on impact. The women and children proudly watching their husbands, fathers, and sons ride into town to report for duty soon found themselves in despair as there was nothing left of the van or men in it. This piece of text truly struck me, causing me to deeply question what was our true purpose for occupying Iraq?
Evaluation/Analysis: Sunrise Over Fallujah allows students from the fourth grade and beyond to become immersed in a story that could be currently affecting many of their families. This brilliant historical fiction invites students to understand what is happening in their current world as they wake up in their warm beds, go to school, and come home safely each night. Sunrise Over Fallujah would be a great way to supplement research about the War on Terror to help students determine if this time period is truly a holocaust. Students will also be able to form their own opinions about war, its importance, and its influence on society as a whole.
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