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Comments (27)

What did you think about this title?
1 to 25 of 27 items
Oct 21, 2023
The book cover makes reference to a quote by Tom Wolfe "The All Quiet on the Western Front of America's Arab wars." - I don't think so ...
Oct 17, 2019Butterfly121761 rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
I was going to watch this on NetFlix and then saw that there was a book so read the book first. I found it difficult at first to transition back and forth with the timeline present / past but then got into the rhythm. For a first novel I…
Jun 08, 2018ferm_dawg rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Really good short story. Disturbing, violent, calm, reflective; all the above. "The things they carried" in the same vein. Good read.
Oct 29, 2017darladoodles rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
It seems disrespectful to report that "I really liked" this book with a four star rating. I did not like the subject matter. War is a terrible thing and I have been fortunate by God's providence not to have ever had to witness a minute of…
Mar 30, 2017
This was a very moving book! Allowed me into the mind of a soldier! Definitely a great writer!
Mar 25, 2016
This book reflects the US perspective. It has the characteristics of a first book (too many adjectives). The novel does convey the lives of young, unprepared, unmoored men trying to stay alive and is the story of a friendship.
Apr 16, 2015dirtbag1 rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
I thought for a first novel that maybe this was the work of a rising star. Shortly after finishing the book I learned that Kevin Powers is a poet who decided to try his hand at writing a novel. I've found that whenever a poet delves into…
jennrose
Sep 13, 2014jennrose rated this title 1 out of 5 stars
Extremely slow paced, hard to feel for the poorly developed characters. Of course there is a sprinkling of the horrors of war, but a newspaper would cover this just as well. A truly great book on the horrors of war is Tim Obrien's "the…
Jan 28, 2014bookwormjeph rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
Written by an ex Iraqi veteran this is an at times harrowing story of the after effects of the Iraq war on a returned soldier. It is sad, devastating in it's description of the personal toll on the main character, but at the same time the…
KEVIN DOWD
Jan 22, 2014KEVIN DOWD rated this title 2.5 out of 5 stars
I am not much one for fiction. The story here takes some liberties with details on deployments. who what and where are submerged in a dream world of combat and malaise. War makes paupers of us all... except the arms manufacturers.
Oct 06, 2013jtkretzschmar rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
As good as Billy Lynn's Halftime Walk; interesting read about the casualties in and then out the war. I imagine that the experiences the protagonist went through are autobiographical which makes this novel all the more fascinating - and…
Sep 25, 2013paschalville rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
this book was intense. read 1/3 then put it down. 10 days later read the rest in two days. overall enjoyable but I liked 'billy lynn's long halftime walk' the best of the two mayor's book club books for this year because it had funny…
rosco2079
Jul 19, 2013rosco2079 rated this title 2.5 out of 5 stars
Powerful story, though heavily written.
gracindaisy
Jul 16, 2013gracindaisy rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
Story of two friends fighting the war in Iraq. One returns home; the other does not. Difficult subject matter, but compelling none the less. Having never served in the military, the least I can do is read about Iraq, from my arm chair.…
Jul 14, 2013BlueMoonGirl rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Disturbing image of war and what it does to those that serve. Good, but affecting, read.
Jane60201
Jul 04, 2013Jane60201 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
The best book I've ever read describing the life of an ordinarily soldier and almost an explanation of who PTSD is such a problem today.
May 17, 2013JCLHelenH rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Perfect for those wishing for a greater understanding of the modern military experience.
Mar 28, 2013JCLMELODYK rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
I implore all high school lit teachers to introduce your students to this novel. Instead of assigning All Quiet on the Western Front or The Things They Carried, let them learn of the horrors of war, the love between soldiers and the mixed…
patienceandfortitude
Mar 26, 2013patienceandfortitude rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
This book is so beautifully written and yet is extraordinarily painful to read. The brutality of the experiences of very young soldiers in Iraq and their difficulty of returning to "normal" life after living such a nightmare, is made so…
Feb 21, 2013lmbyrd rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Even before I had finished reading it, this book made it to my list of favorite books of all time. The writing, the use of language, is just exquisite. It's a harrowing and compelling story, beautifully told.
Feb 10, 2013MelissaBee rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
"Yellow Birds" is an incredible first novel by a young writer well worth keeping an eye on. The eloquent first person narrative brings the reader deeply into the thoughts of a recently returned Iraq war veteran as he recalls his…
Dec 31, 2012bgsibley rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
The story is disturbing and yet compelling. The writing is well done that you seem to become a witness to the action. A quick read and well worth it!
Dec 09, 2012icelandia rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
A well-deserved nomination for a National Book Award. Maybe this will earn Kevin Powers a better book cover.
emily8
Nov 12, 2012emily8 rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
takes your breath away - insightful about war and what it does to those who go - is this really what we want are young people to live and never forget ?
Nov 01, 2012
How wonderful to see a first novel as strong as this! No surprise it is a National Book Award Finalist or that the author is a Michener Poetry Fellow. Read this again February 2014. Even better the second time. The writing is…