Fallen Angels | Teen Ink

Fallen Angels MAG

By Bapalapa2 ELITE, Brooklyn, New York
Bapalapa2 ELITE, Brooklyn, New York
1044 articles 0 photos 1 comment

   Blood ... Terror ... Insanity. Fallen Angels byWalter Dean Myers recalls the Vietnam War through the eyes of RichardPerry, an African-American soldier.

Perry is 17 and on his way toVietnam, a new place, a new life, a whole new world. He volunteered toserve his country, unlike draftees. Thinking of his home in Harlem, andhis family, though, Perry has second thoughts.

The horridness ofthe war nearly overwhelms him. Death comes knocking at his door, dayafter day, night after night. He endures the same food every day, withlittle sleep and hordes of mosquitoes. Only the support of friends andthe safety of his gun beside him comfort him. He knows what he wants -to go home.

Perry is hurt, but unfortunately the wound is not badenough to send him home. He returns to the same hot, muggy place, andinsanity starts to settle around him. The intense fear of friends dying,burning piles of bodies and the unsettling guilt that he is still alivestart to take a toll on Perry.

This tale of tragedy, action andheroism cannot possibly be summarized adequately. Myers goes into theminds of soldiers with not just facts and dates, but emotions. AlthoughMyers was never in the Vietnam War, he has a strong connection with it;his brother died there. Fallen Angels is respectfully dedicated to hisbrother.

Fallen Angels will reach deep into your soul and giveyou a whole new perspective on the Vietnam War.



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This article has 4 comments.


i love this !

HERNY said...
on Dec. 16 2014 at 2:26 pm
Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers puts you into a first person view of 1968 Vietnam. With very accurate and realistic perspectives of a teenager involved in the conflict in Vietnam, come some graphic scenes of what Vietnam was actually like. Richie Perry, a seventeen year old boy who grew up in Harlem, never intended to hurt anyone in his life. But when he is sent to Vietnam for the draft, he knew he would see things that nobody should see. Growing up in Harlem, he was witnessed violence before, but that was because somebody hated someone else. In Vietnam, one boy is forced to kill another, not ever knowing each other, because he is told to.Overall, a very good story, with exciting content. I was never bored when I was reading this, and it always kept me on the edge of my seat. If it wasn’t for a few scenes where there was just nothing happening.This is now definitely one of my favorite novels, but due to certain content, I would recommend this book for young adults and older. This book gives you a real point of view from a boy that doesn’t know anything about Vietnam until he shows up on the front lines.

Fart MAster said...
on Nov. 9 2011 at 11:20 am
I have never read this book hahahahahahahahhahahah

rick said...
on Sep. 24 2010 at 11:30 am
this book is an epic peice i read it three times