Sunrise Over Fallujah

Apr 22, 2013 Dreyke rated it 3 of 5 stars

The book was about a new army recruit named Robin Perry. He was sent to Iraq to join a Civilian Affairs Battalion. Him and the others in his unit were meant to find out information on the Iraqi army but in order to do so the had to go through many obstacles whether it be just talking to people or actually having to fight. The hardest part for them was not knowing what was going to happen, if it was going to happen, or when it was going to happen.

I thought that the book was okay. I didn't find...more

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Sep 28, 2008 Aaron rated it 5 of 5 stars

Myers has introduced the realities of war with a book that could be considered a sequel or companion to his popular novel, Fallen Angels, which presented the story of one soldier's service during the Vietnam Conflict. Instead, this newer work brings readers to Operation Iraqi feeling along with Robin (aka Birdy), an African American who was influenced by his reaction to 9/11 to surpass college for now and join the Army.

As he arrives in Kuwait just prior to the American invasion, Birdy has been a...more Myers has introduced the realities of war with a book that could be considered a sequel or companion to his popular novel, Fallen Angels, which presented the story of one soldier's service during the Vietnam Conflict. Instead, this newer work brings readers to Operation Iraqi feeling along with Robin (aka Birdy), an African American who was influenced by his reaction to 9/11 to surpass college for now and join the Army.

As he arrives in Kuwait just prior to the American invasion, Birdy has been assigned to a Civil Affairs unit, which is assigned with trying to win over the hearts of the soon to be liberated Iraqis. While this means he and his companions are not on the front lines, they still find themselves in a number of very dangerous situations as they talk to be people after civilians are mistakenly killed, work with Iraqis to rebuild damaged infrastructure, and try to provide a positive image for Americans.

Birdy's role as narrator allows readers to experience the challenging mixture of excitement, patriotism, naivite, and horror as they become enmesshed in the difficult actions and sights they experience during battles and in between. In fact, Birdy is shocked by the fact that he probably has killed people, but the fact that his weapon shoots at such a distance protects him from the reality until he ends up shooting an enemy combatent at close range. In the process, his youthful innocences evolves in to a darkened adult hood that we hear so many of our soldiers now experiencing.

Myers has created a novel that highlights the issues of both going to war and what happened during the fighting while still staying a bit objective, allowing the reader to make his own opinions. He is able to do that because of Birdy's perspective as an 18-year-old young man who believes what he is doing, at least at the start.

The only flaw I really see in this novel is I found myself really wanting an Author's Note at the end of the work to explain why Myers made certain choices when including historical events and designing characters. It is also difficult to tell which characters are real historical figures versus characters created to push forward the story.

Even with that, this book is an extremely moving and interesting tale that will keep the readers engaged, particularly male readers. I know I have a lot of teen guy readers who eat up Vietnam novels, and I think this will fill a niche and bring the tale closer to something they know about.(less)

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Feb 12, 2009 Anney Ryan rated it 1 of 5 stars

Pretty much the worst book ever written. Ridiculously flat characters. Boring story line. Predictable ending. No clear message. Awful. Awful. Awful. I guess this guy Myers is important, because he's written tons of books and he got O'Brien to sketch the drawing for the cover. The two must've been stationed together or something... maybe Myers saved O'Brien's life. I can't imagine why else O'Brien would attach his name to something so incredibly bad.

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Aug 10, 2008 Jamie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 14-16, war

Just out of high school, Robin joins the service and is sent to Iraq. I think Myers does a good job here of teaching young readers about life during wartime Iraq, and in writing a suspenseful and compelling story. There's a little bit of repetition (women as caregivers, things happening when someone is using the bathroom) as well as Myers pet topics (Harlem and the blues) shoehorned into the story. However, it's still a compelling, contemporary war story, and I think readers will enjoy it. Inter...more

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Mar 02, 2009 Jerrit 811 rated it 4 of 5 stars

Jerrit Schramm
3/2/09
8-1 LA
Sunrise over Fallujah
Goodreads

“Sunrise over Fallujah” was written by Walter Dean Myers and is a realistic fiction story about a young man named Robin “Birdy” Perry who is a new army recruit from Harlem. He is your average mid- twenties soldier who isn’t sure why he joined the army and he doesn’t have a good perspective that he’s going to Iraq or why. The plot takes place in Fallujah Iraq in many different places from in a humvee patrolling the streets to an average hom...more

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May 10, 2013 Rebecca Baker rated it 4 of 5 stars

Rebecca Baker

Myers, Walter Dean. (2008). Sunrise over Fallujah. New York: Scholastic Press.

Genre: Contemporary Realistic Fiction

Format: Print

Selection: This book was discussed in the textbook Literature for Today's Young Adults.

Review:
Sunrise over Fallujah is a contemporary novel following a soldier named Robin "Birdy" Perry and his army unit during the invasion of Iraq in 2003. Perry joined the army, like so many other Americans, after the events of 9/11. His was a decision based on the desire...more

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Apr 30, 2013 Dan Lofy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Sunrise Over Fallujah By award-winning author Walter Dean Myers, is about Robin "Birdy" Perry, a civilian affairs soldier who is sent to Kuwait. There he learns about what his mission is going to be in the army, "Operation Iraqi Freedom" where his job will be to get the people to not hate the United States for coming and knocking Saddam off his pedal stool changing the people's government. He is assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division where he will follow days behind the main force, so he can mend...more

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Apr 21, 2013 Sam rated it 5 of 5 stars

Sunrise Over Fallujah by Walter Dean Myers tells the story of Robin Perry, a normal guy who faces many challenges in his life. He was given the nickname "Birdy" by his loving family. Robin builds relationships throughout his adventure despite the pain all around him. Against his father’s wishes, Robin decides to go into the military over going to college. He is deployed to Iraq in 2003 during the days of fight to remove Saddam Hussein. Birdy becomes more and more delusional with the whole missio...more

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Apr 16, 2013 Jordan Lee rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book is about a soldier named Robin “Birdy” Perry and his Civilian Affairs unit that has been deployed to Iraq in 2003. When he arrives in Iraq, Robin has a difficult time deciphering who is the enemy and who is the civilian. He encounters many life changing events while in Iraq, including the death of his closest soldier friend “Jonesy” and constantly being on the watch for Improvised Explosive Devices (IED’s). The decision to join the Army was one that met Robin with some consideration. H...more

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Apr 08, 2013 Michael McKinney rated it 3 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I read Sunrise Over Fallujah by Walter Dean Myers. The genre of this book is adventure. I liked the book and the letters to his Uncle Richie, who is a war vet.Reading this book because it shows what war is really like. People really close to you get hurt, maybe even die, and there is nothing you can do about it.It is a sequel from his other book "Fallen Angels".This is a book about soldiers in a civil affairs unit. The main character in the book is a man named Robin Perry nicknamed “birdy”. The...more I read Sunrise Over Fallujah by Walter Dean Myers. The genre of this book is adventure. I liked the book and the letters to his Uncle Richie, who is a war vet.Reading this book because it shows what war is really like. People really close to you get hurt, maybe even die, and there is nothing you can do about it.It is a sequel from his other book "Fallen Angels".This is a book about soldiers in a civil affairs unit. The main character in the book is a man named Robin Perry nicknamed “birdy”. The reason of his civil affairs unit is to make friends with the locals so that they will support the United States. In the book Robin is assigned to a squad and quickly makes “friends” with the people in his squad. One of his closer friends is Jonsey. Jonsey likes blues and stays one of Robin’s friends throughout the whole book.

Another one of his friends is Marla. Robin and Marla are not close friends but they talk to each other and kid around with each other. Together this squad goes through missions including sandstorms and firefights. Every situation makes it harder for the two friends. I think this book is pretty good but not great. The reason I think this is becausethe book took to long and and was boring until the fighting and Robin never seemed to change until the fights happened. For example in the beginning of the book Robin stays basically the same until he encounters his first firefight. He changes a little after that and that change stays until his next firefight and so on and so on.

When you read you just are patiently waiting for something to happen like a fight,shooting or an explosion.The book is very descriptive and that makes it hard to read for weak stomached people.There is an emotional part of a book when the good friend of the main character dies. I felt like I was there with everybody fighting. It was definitely effective and you could always find tears, hurt, anger, sorrow and death.
Just from reading a book like this you learn to be more thankful for what you have back and home and you realize how lucky you are after you read it and see what they go through.If you didn't read the other book the author gives you a breif description of what is happening.But i am still reading it so this so this is what i've gathered this far.

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Feb 27, 2013 Theo Shantz rated it 4 of 5 stars

The book "Sunrise Over Fallujah" by Walter Dean Myers really caught my attention and when I started reading it, I couldn't stop. The story is full of action and suspense and it will hook the reader in after about 40 pages. What interested me about this book was the fact that it had to do with the war in the middle-east and it focused on one of the most famous events of the war: the invasion of the city of Fallujah. I have always been interested in the war in Iraq and Afghanistan and this book re...more

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Jan 15, 2013 Jack W rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: my-books-read

In the Book, 'Sunrise Over Fallujah', Walter Dean Myers uses excellent writing skill to show you what Robin Perry (Birdy) had to endure in the Middle East. He takes you through his life before the war, during the long hard and grueling time in Afghanistan and life after. Walter Dean Myers’ reason for writing this book was to give the people over in the States a little taste of what men and women are doing overseas. Day by day, Walter Dean Myers would show you how Robin Perry would either struggl...more

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Oct 23, 2012 Jake rated it 4 of 5 stars

I read Sunrise Over Fallujah by Walter Dean Myers. The genre of this book is adventure. I liked the book’s writing style in how it would have Birdie send letters to his Uncle Richie, who is a war vet. I liked reading this book because it shows what war is really like. People really close to you get hurt, maybe even die, and there is nothing you can do about it.
This book is about the United States government sending over a Civil Affairs unit to help “Westernize” the Iraqis and how they try to se...more I read Sunrise Over Fallujah by Walter Dean Myers. The genre of this book is adventure. I liked the book’s writing style in how it would have Birdie send letters to his Uncle Richie, who is a war vet. I liked reading this book because it shows what war is really like. People really close to you get hurt, maybe even die, and there is nothing you can do about it.
This book is about the United States government sending over a Civil Affairs unit to help “Westernize” the Iraqis and how they try to set up a democracy in Iraq. They also try to set up a good image for the Americans in their eyes. Sometimes, people will attack them, ridicule them, or shun them. They end up going into the war-torn nation and helping the locals “get back on their feet”. Robin “Birdie” Perry’s company consists of him, Marla, Captain Coles, and Jonesy.
The setting of this book takes place in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom. The setting of Sunrise Over Fallujah is worthy of note because I enjoy how it will relate the locals of the country with the soldiers in interesting ways. For example, the time when Birdie and his company play a soccer game with some little Iraqi kids (and lose pretty badly, I might add). I am able to picture the setting quite vividly in my mind because of the way he uses his words and imagery to bring the setting to life. For instance, when they arrive in Doha, Kuwait, they are surprised to see modern western culture, like a movie theater, an Internet café, and several department stores.
In this book, there are many central characters; although I think that the main ones are Jonesy, Birdie, Marla, and Captain Coles. Out of these characters, I think my favorite is Jonesy because he is always upbeat and talking about a better place where they could all be. I feel like these characters could be real people because of the emotions that they all express.
I believe that the plot of this book is good because it develops on its own without you needing to piece anything together, it rolls nice and smoothly.
I think that Sunrise Over Fallujah is one of the best books that I have read. It brings good characters together, sets up a good plot, and introduces an excellent setting.
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Oct 23, 2012 Nick rated it 3 of 5 stars

Sunrise over Fallujah
By: Walter Dean Myers
A summary and Review

The book sunrise over Fallujah is a book about soldiers in a civil affairs unit. The main character in the book is a man named Robin Perry nicknamed “birdy”. The Point of his civil affairs unit is to make friends with the locals so that they will support the United States. In the book Robin is assigned to a squad and quickly makes “friends” with the people in his squad. One of his closer friends is a guy named Jonsey. Jonsey is big in...more

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Oct 21, 2012 Caron Dessoye rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: death, current-events, family, war, us-military, iraq, soldiers

In Sunrise Over Fallujah, we learn about the day to day life of a soldier in maneuvers for Operation Freedom in Iraq. Robin Perry is young, far away from home and scared. What was supposed to be a peaceful mission feels more like a war. He knows that they are there to help but sometimes it feels like they are causing too much harm. He is happy to have the squad that he does, they seem to understand what he is feeling. If only he could get his father to understand why he joined up. Letters from m...more

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Oct 17, 2012 Nate Hunt added it

Jonesy, a soldier from Georgia, is Robin’s best friend in the military. He plans to open a blues club someday and compares everything to music, but for now they have each other’s back. Robin is not too sure about Marla, who dubs him “Birdy” and seems to enjoy teasing him endlessly. They, along with Captain Coles, are assigned a Humvee for their work on the Civilian Affairs team. In between missions they enjoy each others’ company over meals and in the safe zones during downtime. They even try to...more Jonesy, a soldier from Georgia, is Robin’s best friend in the military. He plans to open a blues club someday and compares everything to music, but for now they have each other’s back. Robin is not too sure about Marla, who dubs him “Birdy” and seems to enjoy teasing him endlessly. They, along with Captain Coles, are assigned a Humvee for their work on the Civilian Affairs team. In between missions they enjoy each others’ company over meals and in the safe zones during downtime. They even try to play soccer against some Iraqis.

The Civilian Affairs soldiers are supposed to help the people living in a war zone by providing them with medicine, water, or assistance in developing a new independent political system after Saddam Hussein is gone. But the Rules of Engagement change frequently, and Robin and his fellow soldiers learn that some civilians are from different warring tribes or simply want Americans dead.

When some people in an ambulance try to kill Robin and his comrades, Robin realizes he can no longer relax anywhere. Another time he sees an officer from his company killed by an IED (improvised explosive device) set off from a cell phone. Pulling that man from the remains of his vehicle haunts Robin’s thoughts for a long time afterwards.

Soldiers who Robin talks to one day are kidnapped (or worse) the next. The author refers briefly in the story to Jessica Lynch and her comrades who were abducted. Details are well researched and recognizable, and readers will relate to the young soldiers. Through translators and contact with locals, Robin struggles to understand the way of life for the people in this sometimes beautiful, sometimes war-torn land.

At one hospital, Robin is forced to act quickly to save a female Captain. With each new experience, he feels he has become a different person, doing things he never would have imagined doing back in Harlem. As a result of their good work, Robin’s unit is asked to help with a dangerous and highly political assignment. It changes everyone involved.(less)

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Jun 03, 2012 Augie S. rated it 3 of 5 stars

Walter Dean Myers had a very realistic idea of what war was really like, and he displayed it very nicely through "Birdy" and his experiences in the book. However, it never got really exciting to the point when you needed to know what was going to happen next; the plot just dragged on for a very long time due to the unrealistic dialog and shallowness of the characters beside Birdy.

I must say, though the delivery wasn't very intriguing to me, Myers did have a very good purpose; to show the reader...more

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May 27, 2012 Mitch Russo rated it 5 of 5 stars

Deadly Entertainment

“ I am Major Spring Sessions and I’m overjoyed to welcome you to sunny Kuwait.” Don’t you just want to see what Major Sessions has to say next? If you like hot action thrillers then Sunrise Over Fallujah by Walter Dean Myers is the book for you. This intense fable is about a young man named Robin “birdy” Perry and his life after he joins the military. He makes many new friends along the way but is very persnickety about who he wants to “watch his back”. Most of the soldiers...more Deadly Entertainment

“ I am Major Spring Sessions and I’m overjoyed to welcome you to sunny Kuwait.” Don’t you just want to see what Major Sessions has to say next? If you like hot action thrillers then Sunrise Over Fallujah by Walter Dean Myers is the book for you. This intense fable is about a young man named Robin “birdy” Perry and his life after he joins the military. He makes many new friends along the way but is very persnickety about who he wants to “watch his back”. Most of the soldiers in the Central Affairs Unit he works with are very obnoxious and childish. He is greated by an african american young man named Jonsey and he is a very moderate man with a taste in the blues culture. When the squad is on break he will grab a guitar and entertain the whole crew. He will make you laugh, think about yourself, and much much more. Jonsey is the heart and soul of the squad. after a few days, Robin meets a young woman named Marla and all I have to say is that she is a handful. She nicknames Robin, “birdy” because his name is a type of bird. He is stuck with name through most of the book.

Robin begins to write letters home to his Uncle Richie and his mom and dad. I really enjoy reading this style of writing because i can connect with the characters so much and the author really uses the style of “show don’t tell”. I really like this because I can visualize myself being a 20 year old in the military and I can feel what Robin has to go through just to stay alive. I think I would do the same as him in picking teammates to watch my back. i would be highly likely to pick the quiet, keep to themselves kind of people.
I would highly recommend this thriller to a “ bite your nails” kind of audience but that is just my opinion. This book demonstrates real friendships and family to highest quality all in an action/War fable. If you love novels with good friends and partnership until death then this book is for you. i am not trying to sound cliche here or anything like that but I highly recommend this book even if you are not the right audience for it. Deadly entertainment in the palms of your hands. 275 pages of non stop excitement and thrill. Take my word for it, when i say you will love it, i literally mean that you will want to marry this book. Sunrise over Fallujah by Walter Dean Myers.(less)

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May 02, 2012 Tyler Barton added it

This novel is a distant "sequel" to Walter Dean Myers' popular Fallen Angels. Fallujah follows the 18 year-old nephew of the main character of Fallen angels, as he experiences the life of a soldier in the Iraq war. Robin, or "Birdie" as he is named by his comrades, is a young soldier who is searching for identity and answers to help him figure out the war, and the world this war is taking place within. He works with a team on the Civilian Affairs Unit where he meets characters and friends. This...more

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Mar 31, 2012 Deborah Hostetter rated it 3 of 5 stars

I was excited to read this book because of the author Walter Dean Myers. In high school I had to read another book of his called Fallen Angels, which I enjoyed very much, due to the powerful message it contained, conveyed in a quick moving plot with lots of action and characters any young person could relate to and enjoy getting to know.
However honestly I didn't enjoy reading Sunrise Over Fallujah as much as Fallen Angels. I found the
plot to be a dry, slow and hard to follow in places, seeing a...more I was excited to read this book because of the author Walter Dean Myers. In high school I had to read another book of his called Fallen Angels, which I enjoyed very much, due to the powerful message it contained, conveyed in a quick moving plot with lots of action and characters any young person could relate to and enjoy getting to know.
However honestly I didn't enjoy reading Sunrise Over Fallujah as much as Fallen Angels. I found the
plot to be a dry, slow and hard to follow in places, seeing as there was too much conversation (in my opinion) occurring between the characters and not enough action. Yet at least the characters were as realistic and easy to relate to as the ones in Fallen Angels, if not even more so.
The book follows the life experiences of several young people ( of both sexes) who have been sent to Iraq as part of a Civilian Affairs team. In the process they get to know each other better as well as comprehend certain facets of the war and the Iranian culture that they did not understand before. The main character Robin corresponds with his Uncle Richie, a character in Fallen Angels who fought in the Vietnam War, and through those intense letters (which form my favorite part of the book) we get to know how Robin is being affected by his experiences and gradually coming to understand and see things in a new light, which is both bewildering and terrifying for him.
I might not have enjoyed reading it too much, yet I did like this book because it did an excellent job of highlighting the bitter realities of war or the truths that war is an ugly horrific tragedy that can be impossible to comprehend or even justify at times. We get to experience Robin's confusion and angst and sympathize with him as he struggles to understand the war. There is NOTHING glorious or justifiable about war, and this book demonstrates that very unmistakably in a provocative, intense and straightforward manner that is only a bit colorful and graphic. There is some swearing and mature content, such as some violence and a near rape event, but not too much.
In my opinion, in order to understand and appreciate this book fully, the reader would have to be an older teen with either
some background knowledge of the war and/or interest in the subject of war to to begin with. If included in a classroom, readers, whether the enjoyed it or not, would at least be educated through reading this book and perhaps forced to think about war in a new manner.

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Jan 12, 2012 Katherine added it

I think this book is very interesting of the author characterize by showing how he feeling and also by expressing of what the character wants and wants to do to finish the war. the language is very clear and it has alot explanation to understand and conclusion of what really is going on. I like it because it talks abput how the soldiers felt by being in Iraq and what they really wanted was when is going to be fiunish just to go home. The plot is verry interesting because it describe you whats re...more

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Jan 04, 2012 Laura rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: younger-readers

A companion book to 1988’s Fallen AngelsFallen Angels, Sunrise over Fallujah is told from the perspective of a young soldier in the early days of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Robin “Birdy” Perry is the nephew of the Fallen Angels narrator. He and his unit are in Civil Affairs and were supposed to deal with noncombatants and initiate the rebuilding process. No unit in Iraq is completely safe, however, and the long stretches of boredom and television-watching are punctuated by moments of terror and ha...more

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Dec 18, 2011 Michael Boyd rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: eng-412

Another exploration into war by the prolific YA adult author Walther Dean Myers. This time Myers takes a pull no punches look at modern warfare as experienced by young adults in the Iraqi conflict.

The main character, Birdy, is a nephew of Ritchie Perry from his previous work "Fallen Angels". Instead of being on the front lines of combat as Ritchie was, Birdy is behind the lines trying to win the hearts and minds of a people whose country is now at war and under miltary occupation. Additionally w...more

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Oct 27, 2011 Carybm rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Sunrise Over Fallujah is an amazing and suspenseful book. After the 9-11 attacks, 'Birdy' (as later nick-named by his squad mates) decides to enlist in the army. He is assigned to the Civil Affairs Unit, which is essentially a group of soldiers moving behind the infantry. Their job is to restore peace to the nation as the soldiers move through. The book is mainly a set of plots that occurred to the fictional characters while in the war. The CA unit eventually does so well with their missions, th...more Sunrise Over Fallujah is an amazing and suspenseful book. After the 9-11 attacks, 'Birdy' (as later nick-named by his squad mates) decides to enlist in the army. He is assigned to the Civil Affairs Unit, which is essentially a group of soldiers moving behind the infantry. Their job is to restore peace to the nation as the soldiers move through. The book is mainly a set of plots that occurred to the fictional characters while in the war. The CA unit eventually does so well with their missions, that they get a special assignment. This action packed climax is in short, awesome.
From gunfights to soccer games, Birdy learns about the Iraqis and the way they live. His unit attends meetings with tribe leaders to try and "win the hearts of the people". They play soccer with some young kids and gather supplies for the villages. They even help the infantry find bomb factories that the insurgents use. The command of the US army says the CA unit's job is to bring a “human face to the war”, and they do just that.
Between all this, the unit also gets into firefights. Exchanging gunfire with the insurgents, Birdy has to face the horrors of death. Towards the beginning of the story, Birdy simply shoots at wherever the bullets come from. He isn't sure if he ever hits anything or kills anyone, in-till a suspenseful mission when he has to save his squad mate. In order to save his friend, Birdy has to shoot two insurgents, point blank. This shatters his spirit for days when he realizes what he has done. He has to face the fact that he has killed another human-being, and it's tough for him. And it's not just the enemies' deaths he has to deal with, but his friends' too. He has to learn to cope with the loss of pals as his story goes on. He becomes friends with most of his squad mates, so the story can be a bit sad at some points.
The story is a great way to learn about the war over seas. It teaches about how the coalitions conducted the war, what it looked like, and what the people felt. It is based off interviews of real soldiers and displays an excellent combo of action, education, and humor. The book is well written and offers some very good reading. Anybody interested in this war should take a look at this story.
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Oct 11, 2011 Brian rated it 4 of 5 stars

Sunrise over Fallujah

In a book I read last year, Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers, you can clearly get what its like to be in a war zone. The book is actually hard to read at some points because it is so descriptive. It’s always an emotional part of a book when a good friend of the main character dies. I almost felt like I was there with everybody fighting. It was definitely a page turner and throughout the book you could always find tears, hurt, anger, sorrow and death. You learn to be more...more Sunrise over Fallujah

In a book I read last year, Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers, you can clearly get what its like to be in a war zone. The book is actually hard to read at some points because it is so descriptive. It’s always an emotional part of a book when a good friend of the main character dies. I almost felt like I was there with everybody fighting. It was definitely a page turner and throughout the book you could always find tears, hurt, anger, sorrow and death. You learn to be more thankful for what you have back and home and you realize how lucky you are after you read it and see what they go through.
In Sunrise over Fallujah also by Walter Dean Myers, you can see what it would really be like to be in a war and you learn not to take for granted what you have. Robin’s main exterior conflict is actually pretty obvious. He is in a war against the Iraqis. And he knows that he might be killed at any second. The war is looking in Americas favor but they Iraqis do have advantages. The Americans have rules of engagement. They are only allowed to shoot at someone if they appear to be a threat or if they shoot first. The Iraqi soldiers don’t have any rules of engagement at all. They can shoot whoever they want to shoot and kill whoever they want to kill and nobody is going to stop them. This makes it even worse for robin knowing that he is basically fighting an army of radicals. Robin’s main interior conflict is that he is terrified of the war. He wants to go home and leave it all behind but he knows he can’t do that. He has to stay and fight and work through all the pain he is enduring from loss of close friends he has gained along the way.
At the beginning of the book Robin was excited to leave home and go to the army to show his dad that he is the one who controls his life. Later on in the book you learn that robin used to always ask his uncle who was in a war what it was like to be in the Vietnam War. His uncle never wanted to talk about it. Once he gets into war and learns that war is brutal and that he shouldn’t take for granted what he had back at home.
I thought this book was excellent and would recommend this book to anybody who likes intense, deep war books.
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Oct 05, 2011 Brett rated it 4 of 5 stars

Sunrise over Fallujah

In a television show called Family Guy, Brian, the family pet, is hit by a car. So once he fully recovers he lives life to the fullest. He doesn’t hold back and takes nothing for granted. Just like Brian, Robin in Sunrise over Fallujah also learns the same life lesson to take nothing for granted after he goes in and out of war and sees the constant deaths around him. Robin is going in and out of war facing death each time. Robin is terrified of the war and the people gettin...more

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Sep 21, 2011 Kate Kerrane rated it 3 of 5 stars

I think the other Group 4 students who were in my book group had similar final thoughts on this book.

I felt like I gained a better sense of what it was/is like for a soldier in Iraq: the confusion and not being sure who to trust, not knowing who is the enemy and who you are trying to help, questioning why you are there and if your efforts are doing any good, not completely understanding the motives of your government, the unpredictability of any moment and the lack of control. I also felt like...more

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Aug 28, 2011 Brit rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 11th-grade-advisory-readings

Sunrise Over Fallujah is about a young man, Robin AKA Birdy, who joins the army because he feels he could make a difference in this world. He is part Civilian Affairs Battalian which helps the locals in Iraq. They are the last stage of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Robin meets Jonesy, Marla Captain Coles An Captain Miller in which he becomes close friends with. This book is about the ups and downs of war and the struggle between knowing what being a hero is and the true meaning of trust and survival....more

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Jun 08, 2011 Ari rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2011

There is little camaraderie in this novel. Birdy talks about the members of his battalion but I never got the impression that he was that chummy with anyone, except Jonesy. Jonesy was a well-developed character but everyone else mentioned (Captain Miller, Major Sessions, Ahmed, Marla) remained one dimensional. I wanted more interaction between characters and to get a grasp for their personalities. They all remained very closed-off and I don't think everyone in the army is tight-lipped, there has...more There is little camaraderie in this novel. Birdy talks about the members of his battalion but I never got the impression that he was that chummy with anyone, except Jonesy. Jonesy was a well-developed character but everyone else mentioned (Captain Miller, Major Sessions, Ahmed, Marla) remained one dimensional. I wanted more interaction between characters and to get a grasp for their personalities. They all remained very closed-off and I don't think everyone in the army is tight-lipped, there has to be more than one fun-loving Blues man like Jonesy in a battalion. It was also really hard keeping everyone's rank straight but that's not the author's fault, it's my own slow brain. The story did seem a bit predictable to me concerning the death of a character, obviously a character is going to die and I thought who it was going to be was clear. I also didn't like the one-sided letters. Birdy told us what his mom said in emails but we only read his letters. I think it would have been interesting to read his uncle's responses to his letters, especially as a war veteran. Furthermore I wanted to know more about his father who was against Birdy entering the army. This is odd because it's a novel about war but I found it dull at parts which was unfortunate.

The story is exciting though even when no action is occurring. It's exciting and saddening to read Birdy's thoughts on war, exciting because he never really THOUGHT about what being in a war meant so it's nice to see him try and sort out his many different feelings but it's sad because it's WAR. Birdy asks good questions "When I was a kid, maybe eight or nine I wondered why God mad the insides of people. Why not just make solid people that could do the same things we did instead of all the little parts, veins, arteries, hearts and things that could go so wrong. Why didn't God just keep it simple?" (pg. 117), ones that I don't believe answers exist. The author does an excellent job of explaining what was going on in the early, tumultuous days of the Iraq War through the ideas of CA soldiers (well I think it's accurate but I wasn't there). This is vital for teen readers because most of us are too young to understand and remember the beginning of the United States' invasion of Iraq.

Sunrise Over Fallujah offers look at a war that has only recently ended (and some may argue is still going on) in a thoughtful, intriguing manner. The author remains satisfyingly neutral, simply reporting the facts, representing various perspectives through the group of soldiers we (briefly) meet. The only message the author has is that soldiers are courageous and deserve the utmost respect which no one would argue against. I also appreciated that the author shows how quick the enemy can change, it's not always obvious who/what is the enemy as much as the two sides going to war want to make it seem clear-cut. The story didn't always hold my interest, especially at the beginning and the ending wasn't that great either but the middle kept a steady pace that held my attention. I would have liked (well I don't think I could like a book about war) to better understand the backgrounds and motives of the characters, even the main character was a mystery which isn't interesting. Overall I just had a meh reaction to this book and it's hard for me to explain why, and for that I apologize.(less)

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May 16, 2011 Sandy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Robin "Birdy" Perry feels compelled to leave Harlem, forego college, and join the Army in the aftermath of 9/11. He does just that--without his father's support. In Sunrise over Fallujah, the 2008 young adult novel by acclaim writer Walter Dean Myers, Birdy finds himself in Iraq and attached to a Civil Affairs unit, a group of soldiers assigned the dubious honor of testing the waters in various "hearts and mind" situations with local Iraqis conceived by higher ups who say they are intent on esta...more Robin "Birdy" Perry feels compelled to leave Harlem, forego college, and join the Army in the aftermath of 9/11. He does just that--without his father's support. In Sunrise over Fallujah, the 2008 young adult novel by acclaim writer Walter Dean Myers, Birdy finds himself in Iraq and attached to a Civil Affairs unit, a group of soldiers assigned the dubious honor of testing the waters in various "hearts and mind" situations with local Iraqis conceived by higher ups who say they are intent on establishing peace and building democracy. Birdy soon learns the people he can trust are the men and women soldiering right alongside them. Beyond this small group, nothing's for sure.

Because soliders who participated in Operation Iraqi Freedom had not only to defeat an enemy but also to build relationships with locals whose loyalties might by lie with the old regime or with some other religious faction or with some other tribe, knowing where to point the gun and when to soot becomes a nightmarish challenge. The Rules of Engagement change from day to day. Nothing is clear. Nobody can be trusted. Everyone has an agenda. And some lies are very convincing.

Myers's novel takes the reader on a journey through the desert, the streets of Baghdad, and other parts of Iraq that are as mysterious as they are ancient and sometimes incomprehensible to the young man from Harlem and his friends--a tough gunner who bounced around in foster care, a wannabe blues musician, a dad--in uniform. Moving forward from day to day with limited information to do job after job on which depends the future of a war-ravaged country about as unlike the US as a country could be turns Birdy and his friends into adults who understand the power and eloquence of silence to speak for the soul from that place deep down where words have no place.

As I turned the pages of this novel about teenagers at war, I found myself muttering, "No way, no way, no way...." because I liked the kids in this story. I could see the students in my classroom becoming these soldiers--and hopefully knowing before it's too late that life is about the person alongside you and the only moment you have is right now.
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