2018 War Reading Challenge

Where on earth did 2017 go? I hope you read some fantastic WWII books last year. There’s still time to link your reviews here.

Feel free to tweet @wargenerations on Twitter when you have a review up or reach out on Facebook through our Facebook page.

This year, we’re leaving the challenge wide open. We’d love for you to link up any fiction, nonfiction, poetry, middle-grade, children’s, or graphic novels you may be reading about war. WWII, Vietnam War, WWI, Korean War, French and Indiana War, War of 1812, the American Revolution, Gulf wars, and more.

Link up your reviews in the linky below:

Let us know in the comments what your personal reading goal is for the war challenge — one book, 10 books, 50 books. It’s up to you.

Have a great 2018!

Thank Our Veterans

Honoring Our Veterans, Today and Every Day

Memorial Day 2015

 

 

 

 

 

Memorial Day is a federal day of remembrance. It began as a way to remember those who died during the U.S. Civil War, but now it is a day to remember all who have served in the military, including our current troops.

Many people take the time to visit the graves of their loved ones who were veterans of war, while some have just placed flags on graves for those who served, even without knowing those soldiers personally. This is a day of remembrance for those who lost their lives in war.

While I agree that these men and women should be remembered, I also urge you to remember those who currently serve (and yes, they are celebrated in November). But I think the sacrifices these troops make, and in some cases, the legacy that they continue, is just as important as those who have passed before us.

I’m lucky to know many current members of the military who have bravely fought, served, and returned home in one piece, but there are so many who are still emotionally, psychologically, and physically scarred. These men deserve our care and consideration on this day. Rather than have a cookout or place a flag on a grave — though you can still do those things, too — why not volunteer in a VA for an hour or take some hard-earned cash and donate it to a veterans organization, like the Wounded Warrior Project.

Enjoy the time you have off with veterans and family. Make the most of it before it’s gone.

Thank You, Veterans!

Day of Remembrance — Memorial Day 2014

Final Week: Sunrise Over Fallujah by Walter Dean Myers Read-a-Long

Today is the final week of our group read-a-long of Sunrise Over Fallujah by Walter Dean Myers.  This week we read pages 215-end, and we hope you’ll leave your comments and/or answers to the questions after the post.

• Click here for Week 1.
• Click here for Week 2.
• Click here for Week 3.

We welcome you to post your thoughts on your blog and provide a link or just type your thoughts in the comments section of the discussion post; whatever works best for you. You can answer our questions or just discuss whatever you found most interesting in each section.

***Beware of spoilers***

1.  Were you as a reader prepared for the death of Jonesy? Why or Why not?

S:  I was more prepared than I expected, and in a way, my subconscious sort of knew that he wasn’t going to make it.  There’s something instinctual about how the members of Birdy’s unit keep personal things closer to the vest, but Jonesy had no problem pontificating about his dreams for a Blues club or the promises he made to stay out of direct combat.  These elements combined with his ability to step up when things didn’t seem right made him a likely candidate to get caught in some kind of crossfire.  I was saddened that he died, but it wasn’t unexpected for me.

2.  Birdy finally tells Marla he loves her.  How true do you think that emotion is or is it something else?  Why do you think he found it important to tell her at all?

S:  I think he felt as though he had to tell her because he didn’t expect to see her again, given the unpredictability of war and which soldiers ended up as casualties.  While I think he loved her as a comrade in arms and the solid presence she seemed to represent for him — anchoring him in reality and keeping a level head in combat — I don’t think he was truly in love with her.

3. At the end of the book, Birdy writes a letter to his Uncle Richie about what his experience in Operation Iraqi Freedom and he comes to a realization that his uncle did not talk about his Vietnam War experiences because there were no words that could accurately portray them.  If that’s so, why do you think that are so many novels, memoirs, and other books that try to explain or depict war?

S:  While I think its very hard for veterans of war to talk about their experiences, I also think its important for them to do so — not only for themselves and the cathartic experience it can provide, but also for others to see what war is and not just in an abstract sense.  Novels and memoirs and other books can provide a more personal connection to readers, who may not have experienced war first hand, allowing them to step in someone else’s shoes and feel that fear and constant anxiety.  However, it’s very different than the actual experience of war in which that fear and anxiety is caught up in the unexpected maiming, harm, and death that comes with combat.

If you have discussion questions for the final section, we’d love to hear them. Also, please feel free to offer your final thoughts on the overall book.

Post your own questions or comments here or on your own blog.  We’d love to read your thoughts….