Sunrise Over Fallujah, by Walter Dean Myers

Myers’ latest novel, Sunrise Over Fallujah, takes on the Iraq War in its early days; we meet Robin “Birdy” Perry, nephew of protagonist Richie Perry in Myers’ earlier acclaimed Vietnam War story, Fallen Angels. With letters and emails home to his mother and Uncle Richie, and, mainly, the day-to-day narration of his soldier’s story, Birdy takes us into his Civilian Affairs unit—a co-ed, diverse squad of soldiers with the mission of interacting with the Iraqi people, building trust, and helping to save lives on both sides. “Sides” is an interesting concept, as all too early Birdy perceives the deep layers of complexity regarding who is fighting whom. “The coalition forces had won the hot war and the newscasts kept telling us that we were in the stabilizing and rebuilding phase of Operation Iraqi Freedom, but the situation was getting hairy. I couldn’t understand what the Iraqis were about or what they really wanted . It was Jonesy who had the question we all wanted to ask. ‘If all the Racks are so happy with what we doing over here, who the hell is shooting at us and laying out all the IEDs?’” In a war story that conveys a young American combatant’s chill of fear and a sense of confusion and the innocent hope mixed with cynicism in its soldiers, Myers has done a great service in rendering an important work of fiction about today’s war. Is it perfect? It’s very strong and a must read in that the subject is so timely and tragic--I’m not aware of any other prominent YA novel on the war, but speak up if there is one or more. The plot and insights are great. I did not find the characters, including Birdy, overly compelling in the way that great characters manage to live in readers’ minds and just kind of inhabit our psyches. But that’s just one opinion. Read it and weigh in!

Presidential Reading. . .

Recently the New York Times Book Review editors asked a few prominent authors what books they would suggest for each of the major candidates. Here is the list, both entertaining and enlightening, which was published in the New York Times Sunday Book Review.

What would be on your recommended reading list?

If You Think You are Well Read, Think Again

William Grimes of the New York Times recently reviewed 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die. He says that there are two factors making it compelling: guilt and time. Peter Boxall, professor of English at University of Sussex, plays on the readers' sense of inadequacy. The 1,001 list is quirky because not only does it have an English language bias, but it also favors post World War II titles. Because the novels are from the latter half of 20th Century and 21st Century the list is definitely skewed. Boxall muses about why Don DeLillo is noteworthy for seven novels and Thackery gets only one--Vanity Fair.

Just for fun. . .

For an interesting and different way to view the "power of a book", read Rachel Donadio's essay from the New York Times Sunday Book Review

It’s Not You, It’s Your Books

Two new YA novels

I must admit that I'm neglectful about posting to the book blog and want to correct this flaw!

It's been a while since I've felt so powerfully moved by new YA fiction, but here are two great titles:

Invisible by Pete Hautman; loved it--Doug will capture you with his intensity and heartbreaking story; here's a kid who's obsesssed with a model railroad bridge-building project in his basement, a project that lets him retreat from some harsh realities of school and the rest of the world. Best friend Andy helps to keep him on an even keel while being at the center of a wonderfully crafted mystery that drives the plot forward.

Harmless by Dana Reinhardt; What's wrong with a little white lie? Tell your parents you're going to be doing something that's not true, and don't tell where you're really going--that's what three high school friends do in this story. When they get caught, one lie leads to another and we have the brewing of a crisis. The three girls are convincingly portrayed and there's not a bit of preaching in this fast moving, riveting tale. Read it, and check out Reinhardt's A Brief Chapter in My Impossible Life, too, her previous book.

Confessions of a Blogger

Okay, I love that we have a library blog, it was fun to create, I enjoy adding links, sharing resources, and reading other people's posts/comments. Why than do I have problems posting to a blog I created? I have several drafts of posts I started and they are just sitting in line waiting to be shared. Here comes the confession. . .I don't like to write! Don't get me wrong, I can write and wrote my way through graduate school, but the reality is it is a challenge. I would much rather just make a list than write a paragraph. Also, it becomes double difficult when I am putting out my thoughts in a public domain, which at times takes a bit of humble pie. Rather than stop posting to the library blog because of my writing anxieties, I have decided to make this confession and just create and share more lists and sometimes a paragraph or two :-)

For now here is a link I have been meaning to share since January. I originally wanted to "couch" it within a story, perhaps still to be written and posted at a later date :-)

Under the Radar Books Not to Miss

Moral of the story:

A ship in port is safe, but that's not what ships are built for.

- Admiral Grace Murray Hopper

You can find more motivational quotes about risk taking at:
Motivational Quotes