Sunrise Over Fallujah

Starred review from April 21, 2008
Here it is at last—the novel that will allow American teens to grapple intelligently and thoughtfully with the war in Iraq. Robin Perry, nephew of the soldier central to Myers's Vietnam novel Fallen Angels
, has joined up because, as he fumblingly writes to his uncle on the eve of the invasion in 2003, “I felt like crap after 9-11 and I wanted to do something, to stand up for my country.” Massing in Kuwait, assigned to a Civil Affairs unit, he finds that his motives continue to elude him as he assesses his fellow soldiers, all of whom seem tougher, braver, better directed. Even as the author exposes Robin's ambivalent feelings and doubts, he re-creates the climate of the earliest days of the war, when victory seems definable and soldiers credibly talk in March or April of being home by Christmas.
Robin serves more as a lens on the war than as a narrator whose voice surprises or compels the reader. His comrades, too, conform to type; rather than individuals, they are representatives of characters familiar to war movies and genre fiction: the soulful musician whose awareness of irony does not stop him from heroism; the medic who defies military protocol in her humanitarianism; the tough-talking gunner—female—who quips her way through danger. In this novel, the conventions are helpful: they ground the reader. For as the Civil Affairs unit moves from a mission of winning “hearts and minds” to having to apologize for the “collateral damage” of having bombed a school and killed children in the “fog of war,” the characters realize they are in the middle of many wars, none of which they understand. Readers will get a sense of the complexities of the war, and of the ways the rank-and-file, as represented by Robin, are slowly drawn into covert or morally dubious engagement. The action builds toward a climax that is affecting despite being easily foreseen. At the end, when Robin writes his uncle one last letter, asking, “re there really enough words to make understand ,” the book itself dares readers to lift that question off the page; it is a forceful bid for their hearts and minds. Ages 12–up.

Starred review from April 1, 2008
Gr 8 Up-Instead of heading to college as his father wishes, Robin leaves Harlem and joins the army to stand up for his country after 9/11. While stationed in Iraq with a war looming that he hopes will be averted, he begins writing letters home to his parents and to his Uncle Richie, the main character from Myers's acclaimed Vietnam War novel, "Fallen Angels" (Scholastic, 1988). Robin finds himself in a diverse Civil Affairs unit of both men and women, with a mission to serve as a buffer between winning over the Iraqi people and concurrent military operations. As the war unfolds, the military angle of Robin's job escalates, and he experiences increasing horrors of violence, death, destruction, insecurity, sorrow, and extreme fear. Ultimately, he comprehends the reasons Uncle Richie never wanted to talk to their family about what happened in Vietnam, saying, "]are there really enough words to make them understand?" Myers brilliantly freeze-frames the opening months of the current Iraq War by realistically capturing its pivotal moments in 2003 and creating a vivid setting. Memorable characters share instances of wry levity that balance the story without deflecting its serious tone. Through precise, believable dialogue as the catalyst, tame compared to that warranted in "Fallen Angels", Myers's expert portrayal of a soldier's feelings and perspectives at the onset of this controversial war allows the circumstances to speak for themselves."Diane P. Tuccillo, Fort Collins Regional Library District, CO"

Copyright 2008 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 15, 2008
Myers earned a Coretta Scott King award for Fallen Angels (1988), about Richie, a young, black soldier who faces confusing missions, enemies indistinguishable from civilians, and a country that resents its so-called liberators.That book dealt with Vietnam, but the same descriptionapplies tothis moving companion, set in Iraq. Narrated by Richies nephew, Robin, thisnovel plunges readers into Operation Iraqi Freedom. The violence encountered by Robins supposedly low-risk, mixed-gender Civil Affairs teamdemolishes expectations of atextbook war and leaves the recent enlisteeburdened with anxiety, as if every gunhad an eye on the end that was looking for him.Such remarks are emblematic of the spare, authentic power of Myers writing, whichrevealsboth the universal emotions of warfare and its contemporary specificsfrom embedded reportersto women warriors (one of whom experiences an attempted rape). Unfortunately, readers learn more about the situation thanabout Robin himself, whotends to be upstaged by his vibrant supporting cast. Another weak point is a melodramatic, heavily foreshadowed tragedy at the books climax.Even so, this offers a compelling, close-up look ata war that has raged for a large percentage of teens lives, and together, this novel and Fallen Angels deliver a searing statement about how the lessons of history go unheeded as the fog of war envelops generation after generation.A new paperback edition of Fallen Angelswill build interest in both books; recommenders should note thatthe language and violence in theearlier titleare markedly more graphic.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)