The
first amendment of the U.S Bill Of Rights says that people have the freedom of
choice and speech. Books have almost
always been allowed for people to read, until today. Some of these books are very controversial
because they expose events relevant to our society today. For example, books show and expose people's
problems with sexuality and the right to choose, some books discuss drugs, alcohol,
violence and war. These topics are
extremely important to the history of our country and world. Sunrise Over Fallujah by Walter Dean
Meyers is about the war in Iraq which was a very controversial issue in our
nation's history. Sunrise Over
Fallujah should not be banned or even questioned for banishment because it
shows readers the reality and truth of war, it has good morals and not a lot of
violence, and compared to all of the violence seen in our media the book is
accurate and appropriate for middle schoolers.
As
an Author Walter Dean Meyers strives to show the reality of war, The gruesome
and morbid parts along with the camaraderie and heroics of it. Walter Dean Meyers said in an interview with
Publishers Weekly that he "wants to make war real for kids." He also
says he "kept seeing romanticized versions of war, I want young people to
know what war is really about." On
the back of the book, an unnamed reviewer writes "an unforgettable and
timely novel about the heroics and horrors of war." This again shows how
Mr Meyers tries to show the reality of war; the good and the bad.
The
book has good morals and lessons, the characters and events are real but
violence and gore are absent from it. In
moments where there is violence there is always a resolution for why the
characters die, their mission is completed or there is vengeance for a person's
death. The most violent moment in the
text is when a main character, Jonesy, is killed. "Jonesy's eyes were
open and his hand was moving toward his neck, as if he were trying to brush
something away… I looked and saw a bubble of blood swell and disappear " -
Pg 271. This tragic situation with
Jonesy is resolved by his actions.
Before he died he was trying to save a blind Iraqi child, who had fallen
when the troop was under fire and couldn't find his way back to the truck to
escape the firing. Jonesy risks his life
to save this child which he does; before he is shot himself.
With
all of the violent video games and movies that are being consumed everyday,
Walter Dean Meyer's books show an accurate description of war. Even Army or Military television ads show a
very distorted version of war, where the majority of one's time in the service
is about the heroic aspect of being a soldier, the camaraderie and the bravery
of fighting in the war. The glory and
not the violence or the emotional struggles are shown. In the article Darkness Too Visible by Meghan
Cox Gurdon of the Wall Street Journal, explains that "What went
undescribed 40 years ago, are now spelled out in stomach-clenching
detail." Walter Dean Meyers,
unlike most authors today, does not write in such a way. Even though he strives to expose the reality
and truth of war to kids, he leaves out all of there gruesome details that some
authors wouldn't.
If
we ban books we are taking away a part of history, a part of someone's life and
work, and we are shielding our society from a piece of literature that people
don't need protection from. War is an
important part of our nation's history, war times were periods when the best
and worst of people and countries were exposed and shown to the public. Sunrise Over Fallujah shows an
accurate and detailed description of the Iraqi war and should be kept in our
libraries and schools. It is appropriate
for Young Adult readers because of its lack of violence, which young people see
enough of in our media already.
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