The realities of war

Since the U.S. is now pulling out of Iraq, it seemed like a good time to check out this book.  While not an emotionally easy book to read, Sunrise Over Fallujah by Walter Dean Myers sheds some light on what war is really all about.  Robin "Birdy" Perry is a young African-American soldier heading overseas to be in the Civil Affairs unit for Operation Iraqi Freedom.  Narrated in first person, Robin leads the reader through a wide range of his emotions - optimism in his letters home to his mom, the friendship and loyalty to his fellow soldiers, utter fear and confusion in trying to figure out exactly who the enemy and why they're fighting.  Appropriate for older middle schoolers and high school students, this would be an interesting companion book to the study of any war.