Fallen Angels

Myers, Walter Dean. Fallen Angels. New York: Scholastic Printing, 2008.
Character: Richie Perry, Peewee, Lobel, Johnson, Brunner, Viet Cong
Setting: Vietnam War
Theme: Coming of age, war, social equality
Genre: Historical Fiction
Golden Quote:
Summary: This is a story told through the eyes of young man, Richie Perry, who joins the fight against the Viet Cong in the Vietnam War. He does not join the fight because he has a stance on a particular issue instead it has to do more with his economic status. He had aspirations to attend college but instead is sent across the world to fight in the trenches. The story is extremely graphic and there is not sugar coating the devastation of war and its affects. During his time in the trenches, he discuss the fear of encountering the Viet Cong and the boredom that comes with sitting around and waiting for engage. During these missions, he notices that black soldiers are given more dangerous mission and begins to question why that is. Pewee and Perry go on a variety of missions and witness the casualties of war first hand. They climax of the story comes with Perry and Pewee are sent on patrol by helicopter and encounter some Viet Cong soldiers. They need to fight for their lives and have to hide from the enemy before making it safely back to camp. During this trip back to camp, Pewee is injured and leaves the reader wondering if he will make it back. The story is very graphic and very insightful, since it brings the violence of war directly to the readers.
Audience: High School
Curriculum ties: Vietnam War, global issues.
Personal response: The book is told through Perry’s point of view and the scenes of war described in the book are very gruesome. At one point, one of their friends in their platoon strays from the marching path and steps on a land mine and is killed instantly. Perry and Pewee use one another for emotional support, to help themselves get through their service time. Some social issues are addressed in the book such as African Americans being given more dangerous missions, making it seem as though they were expendable. It also conjures up feelings of fear and survival very effectively, such as the instance where Pewee and Perry find themselves face to face with a Viet Cong. They have to decide immediately whether to kill him or let him go and the repercussions that will follow. They decide to take the Viet Cong’s life in fear of him disclosing their hiding location. This is a great book for individual’s interested in war, but due to the graphic content, it may not be appropriate for everyone.

The dense and hot jungles of Vietnam now a war zone! Fallen Angels puts the hectic combat of the Vietnam War into the eyes of a young soldier. Rick Perry just graduated High School and knows he cannot afford college. He decides to join the Army and he very well knows he is heading to Vietnam. The only thing is he is unsure what to expect there. In Vietnam He meets his squad who becomes like brothers to each other. They want to get out alive, so they all help and care for each other. There are problems in the Vietnam War. Disease, fear, death, the fog of war (uncertainty) all these things take their place as Pvt. (Private) Rick Perry endures the chaos combat of the Vietnam War! ( )

Horrifying and heartbreaking - teen soldier's point of view of the Vietnam War. If you need a reminder of the phrase "War is hell" this book would be it. Now I know why the woman at the National Book Festival was crying when she asked a question of the author, Walter Dean Myers. ( )

RGG: Story of a group of men fighting in Vietnam. Tries to express the horror and confusion of the American soldier in Vietnam.

RGG: Story of a group of men fighting in Vietnam. Tries to express the horror and confusion of the American soldier in Vietnam.