About this title: Robin "Birdy" Perry, a new army recruit from Harlem, isn't quite sure why he joined the army, but he's sure where he's headed: Iraq. Birdy and the others in the Civilian Affairs Battalion are supposed to help secure and stabilize the country and successfully interact with the Iraqi people. Officially, the code name for their maneuvers is Operation ...
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Description: Good. Former Library book. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Date Published: 2008
ISBN-13:9780439916240ISBN:0439916240
Description: Good in Good jacket. Nice clean ex-library copy with dust jacket! Pages are clean and the binding is tight. Some books may be ex-library books. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Date Published: 2008
ISBN-13:9780439916240ISBN:0439916240
Description: Very good in very good dust jacket. Glued binding. Paper over boards. With dust jacket. 290 p. Contains: Illustrations. Audience: Children/juvenile; Young adult. An honest and hard look at the reality of modern war and the complexities of fighting in a situation where morality and clarity are sometimes lacking. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Thorndike Press
Date Published: 2008
ISBN-13:9781410410191ISBN:1410410196
Description: Very Good. Large Print. Pages tight and clean. X-Library with usual markings. All books have issued dustcovers unless otherwise noted. Pictures always available upon request. All books shipped securely. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Thorndike Press
Date Published: 2008
ISBN-13:9781410410191ISBN:1410410196
Description: Good. Used item may show library stamps, stickers and marks. Buy with confidence-your satisfaction is guaranteed at B-Logistics! Due to the large scale of our operation, we do not have access to the specific contents/condition of our items. Please note that Expedited shipping is not available at this time. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Date Published: 2008
ISBN-13:9780545103800ISBN:0545103800
Description: Good. Standard used condition. May have light reading or storage wear. All orders processed within 2 business days. Ships from Foxboro MA. read more
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Date Published: 2009-04-15
ISBN-13:9780439916257ISBN:0439916259
Description: New. New, unread, unused & in perfect condition with no damaged or missing pages. Pre-release book with different cover and publisher stickers. Great Copy. Ships Lightning Fast. read more
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Date Published: 2009
ISBN-13:9780439916257ISBN:0439916259
Description: New. Brand New! Buy with confidence-your satisfaction is guaranteed at B-Logistics! Due to the large scale of our operation, we do not have access to the specific contents/condition of our items. Please note that Expedited shipping is not available at this time. read more
Binding: Mass-market paperback
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Date Published: 2009
ISBN-13:9780439916257ISBN:0439916259
Description: New. Mass market (rack) paperback. Glued binding. 320 p. Intended for a juvenile audience. Intended for a young adult/teenage audience. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Date Published: 2008
ISBN-13:9780439916240ISBN:0439916240
Description: New. Glued binding. Paper over boards. With dust jacket. 290 p. Contains: Illustrations. Intended for a juvenile audience. Intended for a young adult/teenage audience. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Scholastic
Date Published: 2008-05-01
ISBN-13:9780439916240ISBN:0439916240
Description: NEW. Hardcover. From an inventory that is 100% brand-new, 100% direct from the publishers' distribution channel. We carry NO pre-owned, NO remaindered. We pack in CARDBOARD to ensure the pristine quality is maintained. (Bubble-wrap alone is NOT sufficient to protect from USPS equipment. ) Guaranteed brand-NEW, protected with CARDBOARD, your satisfaction is guaranteed. BKLUVID: 9780439916240. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Date Published: 2008
ISBN-13:9780439916240ISBN:0439916240
Description: New. Brand New! Buy with confidence-your satisfaction is guaranteed at B-Logistics! Due to the large scale of our operation, we do not have access to the specific contents/condition of our items. Please note that Expedited shipping is not available at this time. read more
Description: New. Brand New! Buy with confidence-your satisfaction is guaranteed at B-Logistics! Due to the large scale of our operation, we do not have access to the specific contents/condition of our items. Please note that Expedited shipping is not available at this time. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Thorndike Pr
Date Published: 2008-11-03
ISBN-13:9781410410191ISBN:1410410196
Description: NEW. Hardcover. From an inventory that is 100% brand-new, 100% direct from the publishers' distribution channel. We carry NO pre-owned, NO remaindered. We pack in CARDBOARD to ensure the pristine quality is maintained. (Bubble-wrap alone is NOT sufficient to protect from USPS equipment. ) Guaranteed brand-NEW, protected with CARDBOARD, your satisfaction is guaranteed. BKLUVID: 9781410410191. read more
"This is the first novel I've read about the Iraq War, and I have to say that it's odd to read a book about a war that is still going on. Most war stories are told after the war is over and done with. Although I felt like Birdy could have been a more complex character, I thought that Dean Myers did an excellent of capturing the confusion, fear, bewilderment, boredom, and trauma that the soldiers experience. Because there was no over-dramatizing, the reality of war was, I believe, fairly captured. From reading this book, I gained a new compassion for the soldiers who have served in this war. I also gained a new appreciation for how absurd it is to enter into a war in a country where you don't speak the language, you don't know the land, and you don't understand the culture. I highly recommend this book and would probably pair it with Tim O'Brien's books on Vietnam for a comparison/contrast."
"To be honest, I had a very hard time pushing through this book at the onset. I had been asked to read this novel before attending the Young Adult Literature Conference at the end of the month, and I soon became worried I wouldn't have the heart to finish it in time. But, on the advice of a friend, I pushed through those first 30 pages and found a moving and starkly heartfelt story on the other end.
Having never served in the military, it is impossible to say if this novel paints an accurate picture of what is happening overseas. Yet, it does tackle a great deal of timely and valid questions: "Are there two different wars being waged, one on TV and another by living beings", "what started this war in the first place", "what constitutes 'winning' a war", "is one person's death more "important" than another", "should a soldier internalize the atrocities of war or should one allow what happens at war stay in war? A final, possibly more interesting question posed sporadically by the author, Are those who fight in war required to share their stories?"
Even having made this list I can tell it will take a good while to fully pull apart each and every issue this novel has brought up within me. I can only imagine how a reader would feel if they have actually witnessed an active war or knows someone who is currently fighting overseas.
Having just finished the piece I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed my first adventure into the mind of Walter Dean Myers. My next trip? either Moster or my new purchase The Glory Field"
"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 haven't read one of his books in some time, but this one makes me realize what a great author he is. This is not a book I would normally pick up, but I'm working on reading all the Tayshas books for '09-'10. However, I did read Tamarfrom this last year's Tayshas list and I liked it, too. The story follows a Civilian Affairs squad in the beginning of the Iraq war. In particular, you get to know the main character, Robin. The story really gave me some insight into what our soldiers continue to experience in this war. It provides a glimpse into that experience, and perhaps a better understanding of why things have drawn out as they have. I appreciate that Meyers didn't attempt to give a particular opinion of the conflict or cast judgment on the right or wrong of it, but rather has given us a story of things being what they are. I would highly recommend this book both as a good read and a good war story."
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