I began my research on the war in Iraq by reading a work of fiction by Walter Dean Meyers. In Sunrise Over Fallujah, Meyers tells the story of a group of young American soldiers' experiences fighting in Iraq as members of the Civil Affairs Unit.
The protagonist in the story is 18-year old Private Robin Perry from Harlem. The nephew of Richie Perry (the main character in Meyers' Vietnam War novel Fallen Angels), Robin is compelled to join the war after the events on September 11, 2001. His unit is charged with testing the waters in unknown situations and earning the trust of the Iraqis in order to minimize fighting. The soldiers soon realize the confusion they are faced with regarding why they are fighting, whom they are fighting, and how they can identify their friends from their enemies. Through their experiences we are able to see the beauty of the country and the people-even through the ugliness of war.
As I read this book, I became more aware of the many innocent lives that are lost in war, often due to mistakes and miscalculations, and usually for reasons that remain a mystery. Many of the men and women fighting for our country are children themselves, yet they are faced with horrorific scenes and decisions many of us could never imagine. They are forced to witness the cruelties that are played out on the "other," as well as the attempted justification and retribution. In one scene in the novel, the Civil Affairs Unit is ordered to bring money to the families of children that were killed while playing near a school that was attacked. A man in the village informs the American soldiers that "the mothers of the dead children don't want [the] money, they want their children" (98). It is during events such as this that the empathetic unit, as well as the reader, begin to understand the cost of war and question America's involvement in Iraq.
Through this novel the reader is able to enter into relationships with American soldiers in Iraq. We can see the personal desires to make a difference, despite the gradual realization that this is not a war that can be won. In addition, the book teaches and informs the average unknowing American about the conflict in Iraq and the many parties involved, especially the thoughts and perceptions of the Iraqi people. Although the purpose of the war fails to become clear, the reader is able to put his or herself in the postion of a young soldier, who seems to have much in common with the "blind Iraqi kid stumbling across the field, bullets flying around him, lost in his dark world" (282).
The protagonist in the story is 18-year old Private Robin Perry from Harlem. The nephew of Richie Perry (the main character in Meyers' Vietnam War novel Fallen Angels), Robin is compelled to join the war after the events on September 11, 2001. His unit is charged with testing the waters in unknown situations and earning the trust of the Iraqis in order to minimize fighting. The soldiers soon realize the confusion they are faced with regarding why they are fighting, whom they are fighting, and how they can identify their friends from their enemies. Through their experiences we are able to see the beauty of the country and the people-even through the ugliness of war.
As I read this book, I became more aware of the many innocent lives that are lost in war, often due to mistakes and miscalculations, and usually for reasons that remain a mystery. Many of the men and women fighting for our country are children themselves, yet they are faced with horrorific scenes and decisions many of us could never imagine. They are forced to witness the cruelties that are played out on the "other," as well as the attempted justification and retribution. In one scene in the novel, the Civil Affairs Unit is ordered to bring money to the families of children that were killed while playing near a school that was attacked. A man in the village informs the American soldiers that "the mothers of the dead children don't want [the] money, they want their children" (98). It is during events such as this that the empathetic unit, as well as the reader, begin to understand the cost of war and question America's involvement in Iraq.
Through this novel the reader is able to enter into relationships with American soldiers in Iraq. We can see the personal desires to make a difference, despite the gradual realization that this is not a war that can be won. In addition, the book teaches and informs the average unknowing American about the conflict in Iraq and the many parties involved, especially the thoughts and perceptions of the Iraqi people. Although the purpose of the war fails to become clear, the reader is able to put his or herself in the postion of a young soldier, who seems to have much in common with the "blind Iraqi kid stumbling across the field, bullets flying around him, lost in his dark world" (282).
I am somewhere past half way with this novel and I appreciate your assigning it to me to read! You make a number of observations about the work that seem right on to me. I think I will try to post a blog on it as well.
ReplyDeleteThis is definitely a book that every high schooler should read. Powerful.
ReplyDeleteI agree that this is a wonderful and powerful book, and definately one that could be taught in classrooms, especially with the age of the main character (18 years old and entering into the war) being so close to that of high school students. I think the question of "why they are fighting, whom they are fighting, and how they can identify their friends from their enemies" is such an important one, and perhaps one that is so often overlooked when dealing with and learning about the war. Like you mentioned, the purpose of the war fails to become clear by the end of the book, and I think that is a very important factor to consider, as I think that is a question that MANY people are unable to answer, whether fighting in the war themselves or not.
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