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3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/1547503.html
Excellent novel of the Vietnam War, with gruelling descriptions of the violence and despair of the ordinary soldiers put in harm's way by their officers and their government (especially if they were not white). Not much about the Vietnamese though.
Excellent novel of the Vietnam War, with gruelling descriptions of the violence and despair of the ordinary soldiers put in harm's way by their officers and their government (especially if they were not white). Not much about the Vietnamese though.
I'm not sure what to say about this book. The plot feels like it just muddles along, though it offers a stark and brutal glimpse at the reality of the Vietnam War. It's a worthwhile perspective, but it kind of just plods along.
This book is one of our English 2 (Sophomore) titles that seems to be used rarely and for obvious reasons. It lacks depth in most of the ways English teachers view teaching novels. The story seems to be 99% plot which can make teaching it challenging. However, the reading level seems lowish and the interest level highish which suits my classes well since I have mostly lowish male students. I thought it was interesting but I think my students will enjoy it greatly.
Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers is a young adult novel for ages 9-12 or ages 12 and older depending upon maturity. It touches upon the role and racism encountered by young African-American draftees and volunteers in the Vietnam War. The coming-of-age novel was banned by certain school districts for its use of profanity, violence, sexual language, and vulgarity, and continually challenged by parents and teachers for the last decade. Myers pulls no punches in this young adult novel, painting a picture of war as teens drafted in the 1960s would have experienced it and been impacted by it.
Harlem, New York’s Richie Perry volunteers to join the army at age 17 after he realizes its the best option to provide for his alcoholic mother and younger brother and that college is a dream that is too far out of reach since his father abandoned them. He joins Alpha Company once in Vietnam and meets a cast of characters from a soldier who preaches faith to Peewee who acts as tough as he does on the Chicago streets and sees racism in every comment.
Read the full review: http://savvyverseandwit.com/2010/11/fallen-angels-by-walter-dean-myers.html
Harlem, New York’s Richie Perry volunteers to join the army at age 17 after he realizes its the best option to provide for his alcoholic mother and younger brother and that college is a dream that is too far out of reach since his father abandoned them. He joins Alpha Company once in Vietnam and meets a cast of characters from a soldier who preaches faith to Peewee who acts as tough as he does on the Chicago streets and sees racism in every comment.
Read the full review: http://savvyverseandwit.com/2010/11/fallen-angels-by-walter-dean-myers.html
Richard Perry enlists in the Army right after grauation from high school. At seventeen, he is shipped off to Vietnam to face the brutal reality of war. Richie gradually comes to know and to depend upon his fellow soldiers and struggles to retain his humanity in the face of the horrors of war.
The cumulative power of this book is pretty astonishing. When I first heard it was a YA book about the Vietnam War, I assumed it would be simplistic and watered-down. Not so. Even though I don't have that first-hand war-time experience, Myers' book strikes me as true, in the language, the violence, and the moral ambiguity of war. It's not an easy read, but the book is an important one for tackling the horror of war, as well as racism, homophobia, and the importance of clinging to simple pleasures. Fallen Angels is a triumph.
I picked up and put down this book several times before I finally forced myself to finish. The thing is, my little brother read this book and loved it. There are very few books Sam can claim to have read that I haven't and that meant I HAD to finish this one. I am not particularly fond of coming of age stories or war books and Fallen Angels is a very realistic story about coming of age in the midst of the Vietnam War. However, despite how much I disliked it while reading it, I find I enjoyed the story. It was realistic and painful to read but it was the sort of painful that means you remember it. This wasn't a forced, sappy sorrow but a look at the rawness and realness of war. The main character, Perry, is really just a teenager without much of a clue about what is going on. The story covers a relatively brief amount of time in his life but it feels like you get to know him quite well. The book looks at racism, patriotism, and fear.
I didn't want to read it but I am glad I did.
Lots of language, sexual commentary, and general reference to bodily functions. I'm kind of surprised Sonlight had it in their curriculum. It is cool that they did.
I didn't want to read it but I am glad I did.
Lots of language, sexual commentary, and general reference to bodily functions. I'm kind of surprised Sonlight had it in their curriculum. It is cool that they did.
I loved this book! I'm recommending it to all my students!
fast-paced
I read this for my English class and I have never struggled to read a book as much as I did with this one. It felt horribly slow and failed to hold my attention. I never felt invested in these characters or the story. Disappointing overall.