Fallen Angels - Book Review

Image by upload.wikimedia.org

Myers, Walter Dean. Fallen Angels. New York: Scholastic, 1988. Print.

“You know, we had somethin’ like you back in Galesburg. We cut it up and put it in formaldehyde.” This is just one intimidating quote from my favorite and realistically moving Vietnam war novel. Richie Perry has a paperwork mess-up in the Army and is sent to Vietnam instead of Germany. There he meets Peewee, a big man and his trusty knife, and develops a strong friendship with him. Their battalion includes men like Lobel, Johnson, Brunner, and of course Peewee and Richie Perry. None of these men came here for the same reason. All are fighting, but none know exactly why. All they want to do is get out alive. Walter Dean Myers has written a masterful account of the Vietnam war and all students should read it.