Sunrise Over Fallujah Review

Sunrise Over Fallujah by Walter Dean Myers was a book full of the clarity about war. From the total atrocities of war crimes, to the display of satisfaction a soldier receives after saving a person life, it is all shown. It is very easy to understand the books meaning and what the author is trying to portray to you. This book does in a way offer an escape from realism but only to a certain extent. This is because most people around the world do not participate in the army but war is something that is part of every day life and is displayed well in Sunrise Over Fallujah. It could be said that this book is a reflection of reality because it is a novel written about a war that actually took place within the past ten years. Reality is shown in this book by the devastation that modern warfare can have on a society. It displays very well that the civilians are the true losers in the wars that take place around their homes. Walter Dean Meyers does incredible within this book giving the reader the idea of the landscape through literary artistry. He was able to compare the Middle East to a combination of Mars and a barren southern California. Meyers included scenes of beautiful sunrises, extreme dust storms and incredibly intense battles that could make me almost believe that I was actually there. It was almost as if I was getting a first hand experience of what warfare is like Iraq and now days in the modern age. It is hard to say that this book was an internally consistent book considering it was written as if it was first person from a fictional solider in Iraq. Walter did a great job of making the idea of war being really realistic but almost too well. The book seemed to jump around a lot or go up and down as one would say. One second the army man would be sitting watching TV at the base, and the next page he would be blowing up a truck. So just as the internal consistency of war in real life is not consistent, this book is the same way. Personally I completely agree with this book and the way that it portrayed the people in the war. It is true that the Iraq war was not a very popular war amongst the people back home, and Walter did a good job of letting the readers know that. It seemed at times that the book made it seem as if people hated the soldiers who fought in Iraq, for fighting in Iraq. I personally have the utmost respect for all army officers, especially active duty combat troops, because they fight and die for our freedom. Lastly this book gave significant insights on what the war was considered to be about. The reason we went to Iraq was to bring down a dictator, destroy nuclear weapons, and was initiated by 9/11. Whether you are one who totally agrees with the idea of the Iraq war and its causes, you have a right to your own opinion. If you are looking for a great read about the realities of war or just a war fanatic you would love this book.