Sunrise Over Fallujah

Sunrise Over Fallujah by Walter Dean Myers Review from Amazon.com:
Robin's parents aspire for him to go to college, but following September 11, he feels compelled to join the Army instead. By early 2003, Robin has completed Basic Training and is deployed to Iraq where he becomes part of a Civil Affairs Unit charged with building the trust of the Iraqi people to minimize fighting. Civil Affairs soldiers are often put into deadly situations to test the waters, and Robin finds that the people in his unit, who nickname him "Birdy," are the only ones he can trust. Robin quickly learns that the situation in Iraq will not be resolved easily and that much of what is happening there will never make the news. Facing the horrors of war, Robin tries to remain hopeful and comforting in his letters to his family, never showing his fear or the danger he actually faces. The story of teenagers going to war today is an important one, and it is not told often enough. Myers writes an important book to have in any collection to recognize that many teens will choose to join the military instead of, or before, going on to college. Robin is only eighteen, and it is difficult to watch his innocence erased as war leaves its mark on him, but it is the reality for many young men and women. This fine book could be included with a unit on current events and is a good choice for boys.

I had an extremely hard time making it through this book. The glossary of terms and acronyms was the first clue; For somebody in the armed forces this may have been easier to overcome than for myself. I also had a hard time connecting to the characters. They seemed have a VERY brief background of where they were from and if they were male of female. They never really developed past that and the lack of definition in the character made it difficult for me to keep connected and remember who each character was. The most reveling parts were the letters where you could actually see who Robin really was and how he was feeling. The letters saved the book and made it possible to finish. I would include this in a high school library because I think males would enjoy it more than I did and I don't think my personal preference should keep it out when it has so many good reviews.