Fallen Angels Author: Walter Dean Myers | Language: English | ISBN:
0756987970 | Format: PDF
Fallen Angels Description
An exciting, eye-catching repackage of acclaimed author Walter Dean Myers' bestselling paperbacks, to coincide with the publication of SUNRISE OVER FALLUJA in hardcover.
A coming-of-age tale for young adults set in the trenches of the Vietnam War in the late 1960s, this is the story of Perry, a Harlem teenager who volunteers for the service when his dream of attending college falls through. Sent to the front lines, Perry and his platoon come face-to-face with the Vietcong and the real horror of warfare. But violence and death aren't the only hardships. As Perry struggles to find virtue in himself and his comrades, he questions why black troops are given the most dangerous assignments, and why the U.S. is even there at all.
--This text refers to the
Mass Market Paperback
edition.
- Age Range: 12 and up
- Grade Level: 7 and up
- Hardcover
- Publisher: Perfection Learning (May 1, 2008)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0756987970
- ISBN-13: 978-0756987978
- Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.9 x 0.9 inches
- Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Fallen Angels - A Look at What Life Really Means
Walter Dean Myers' Fallen Angels is a well-written tale of not only the tragedies of the Vietnam War and of the experiences of the typical black American soldier, but also an open-minded view of the realities of precious life and courageous death. The main character in the book, Richard Perry, is a young man fresh out of a high school in Harlem. When dreams of going to college and playing basketball don't turn out as he'd planned, Perry joins the army, and is sent to the front line in Vietnam. The rest of the story describes his life in the army: his arrival in the foreign country, the meeting of his squad, and the building of friendships and camaraderie. The dialogue between the soldiers is realistic, sometimes grotesque, and often humorous. Myers also vividly depicts the battles Perry fights in, using exquisite language so to bring the reader into the battle itself with the soldiers. He uses his expertise to show the pain felt by Perry and his friends. I do not mean physical pain alone, but pain of the aching heart and wandering mind, the tired body and longing soul. One example of such description is found after one particular battle when Perry says, " I had stood trembling in fear and waiting, and had run in near panic for the choppers and hoped and prayed for a few minutes more of life" (Myers 141). Another example is found during another battle, when Perry tries desperately to think of other things besides the war he is in. He remembers his Harlem home, saying, " It would be day and the park would be filled with kids, their screaming and laughter would slide along the light beams into the helter skelter world of monkey bars and swings" ( 246). For me, this book is one of great power and insight.
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