Myers, Walter D. Fallen Angels. New York: Scholastic, 1988. ISBN: 0-590-40942-5
Plot Summary:
Richie Perry is a brand new enlistee from New York who is being shipped off to Vietnam. He joins the army willingly because his options after he graduates are very limited. He gets injured in the states and is supposed to be unable to perform combat duty. Perry arrives in Vietnam and keeps trying to find his paperwork to get a non-combat job, but he keeps getting pushed down the line until he ends up in a combat unit with no paperwork to back his claim as being unfit for combat duty. Perry is put into a line unit and issued a gun. He is befriended by Peewee Gates, from Chicago, and the two grow closer as they share the hardship of a soldier’s life. The men of the unit go on patrols and stand guard; they live through combat and disease. The soldiers are forced to kill the enemy, they get wounded, and some of them die. Perry grows close with all of the men in his immediate unit even though there are background differences among them. This closeness makes Perry decide to stay with his unit in the combat zone even after he receives his medical paperwork. This shows his dedication to his fellow soldiers far more than to the army. Perry’s tour of duty culminates in a powerful ending that shows the strengths of friendship and character to maintain one in a difficult situation.
Critical Evaluation:
This was one of the most emotional books I have come across that has dealt with the subject of war. One of the reasons I think it was so emotional is that the author wrote this book and dedicated it to the memory of his brother who had died in Vietnam. One can almost feel the writer’s pain in parts of the book. The author does a fine job in describing the confusion that a line soldier often has in combat and the confusion they have in regards to the bigger picture. One becomes attached to the squad of soldiers the story centers on and actually feels a loss when one of the soldiers is killed or wounded. The writer binds the reader to the story in a way that makes the reader feel involved with the characters, which shows that the writer knows his art. The action scenes are very realistic as there is nothing of what one would call glory involved, just a bunch of scared individuals trying to stay alive.
Reader’s Annotation:
A squad of American soldiers in Vietnam participates in fighting while trying to figure out why they are there. The young soldiers are changed amidst the challenge of staying alive in a war zone.
Information about the author:
Walter Dean Myers is one of the most well-known writers of contemporary YA Fiction. The author is well known for some of his other works dealing with coming of age issues and disadvantaged backgrounds. African American themes are often found in his works, but he writes for a much larger audience. Growing up in New York City has given him a unique insight into the city and the various cultures and moods that exist there. Myers is also a U.S. Army veteran, an experience which he drew upon to write this book.
Myers has won much recognition such as the Coretta Scott King Award, Newbery Honors, and the Michael J. Prinz Award. He is married and has three children, one of whom he collaborates with on literary projects. Myers has had a chance to travel all over the world and has been to a number of countries.
Genre:
War, African American experience
Curriculum Ties:
History
Booktalking Ideas:
1. Focus upon the racial tension that sometimes divides the soldiers and how this influences the story.
2. Discuss how the young men cope with being in a combat zone and the way they deal with loss of fellow soldiers.
3. Center on the backgrounds of the characters, how they are the same, how are they different.
Reading Level/Interest Age:
15+
Challenge Issues:
Language/Violence/Racism
Challenge Defense Ideas:
1. Read the book.
2. Be Familiar with the policy of the ALA and your institution.
3. Make a note of the contents of the work and how they fall in with the collection development policy of your institution and the standpoint of the ALA.
4. Gain an awareness of the awards, reviews, and criticisms of the work, as well as other works by the same writer.
5. Know the process for materials challenges at your library.
Why did you include this book? :
I was so impressed by the two other books I read by this author that I felt I had to read a third, and this book, along with Monster, are the two most associated with Myers.
Author’s Website:
No comments:
Post a Comment