Sunrise Over Fallujah by Walter Dean Myers is a very action- packed book filled with lots of emotion and sorrow for the death of many characters throughout the story.  The genre of the book is realistic fiction because it takes place in the year 2003 in the country of Iraq.  The book is about Robin (Birdy) Perry, who signed up for the army at his dad’s disapproval and was stationed in Iraq.  Birdy met many friends in Iraq, such as Marla Kennedy, Jonesy, and Captain Coles.  They went through many dangerous and tough times, such as the attack on their humvee by the terrorists or the death of Pendleton due to the IED exploding.  By the end of the story, Birdy really doubted his beliefs about why he was fighting in Iraq and realized that killing people was horrible and wondered why people did it. 

The author excellently depicts the apprehension that the troops felt in Iraq, and how they coped with the horrors of the war when they got home.  The author really made me feel remorse for not just the soldiers, but the Iraqi citizens as well.  The Iraqis did not want this war to happen, but they were forced into it.  This leads to my theme, war changes people.  Two quotes that agree with my theme are, “A night of bad dreams, of living again the moments that flashed wildly by of my blues-loving friend being held in a body bag (Myers 275).”  The theme shows up as Birdy is reflecting on the amount of death.  “I’ve had to cram these images into my head, and it’s not easy.  I tried to think about how I would tell people about my experiences over here (280-281).”  Both of those quotes clearly depict how war changes people and how they will have a hard time telling their family and friends about what happened over there.  This book made me feel very sad and sympathetic for the soldiers and what happened in Iraq.  I would recommend this book to teenagers (it is too mature for younger children) and anybody who likes action-packed books that keep you on the edge of your seat.