The Yellow Birds

A Novel

By: Kevin Powers

Narrated by: Holter Graham

Length: 5 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's summary

"The war tried to kill us in the spring," begins this breathtaking account of friendship and loss. In Al Tafar, Iraq, 21-year-old Private Bartle and 18-year-old Private Murphy cling to life as their platoon launches a bloody battle for the city. In the endless days that follow, the two young soldiers do everything to protect each other from the forces that press in on every side: the insurgents, physical fatigue, and the mental stress that comes from constant danger.

Bound together since basic training when their tough-as-nails sergeant ordered Bartle to watch over Murphy, the two have been dropped into a war neither is prepared for. As reality begins to blur into a hazy nightmare, Murphy becomes increasingly unmoored from the world around him and Bartle takes impossible actions.

With profound emotional insight, especially into the effects of a hidden war on mothers and families at home, The Yellow Birds is a groundbreaking novel about the costs of war that is destined to become a classic.

©2012 Kevin Powers (P)2012 Hachette Audio

An All-too-real Submersion into the Soldier's life

What made the experience of listening to The Yellow Birds the most enjoyable?

The descriptions are so potent and tangible, it doesn't take much imagination to transport yourself into his shoes, though it's not really a place anyone wants to be. It communicates a very sobering, true-to-life glimpse of the modern day soldier's experience, and I feel helps the reader to better understand the situation.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Yellow Birds?

There were several. Of course the big reveal of how Murphy is killed is probably the most memorable and shocking. I also thought the picture of the bleeding horse coming down into the water was memorable.

What about Holter Graham’s performance did you like?

Very convincing voice - he conveyed the raw emotion in a tempered (albeit harsh) way that felt true to the way the author would read it, stating the truth without shying from the awfulness of it (without being whiny or overly dramatic).

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

A young soldier, tasked with an impossible burden...
...to keep his friend safe.

Any additional comments?

This is not about the bravado of fighting in war or the glory of overcoming one's enemies. It is a deeply insightful glimpse into the mind of a man, mentally savaged by the reality of the new war in the middle east. Take from it what you will, but it is difficult to believe this is fiction. It must be based on true experience for it to have the kind of sharp, pungent accuracy it does in its detailed and rich descriptions. Those are not the sorts of details that can be made up by someone outside of that reality.

A very dark book

I really liked this book from the title to the end. it was however a very dark look at the war and suffering that everyone went through in the war.,

Poignant writing with a little too much flourish

Any additional comments?

This is an meaningful story that is sad and needed. However enjoyable which is more often than not, I find there are times where the flourish of verbiage is tiresome. Could be an unrestrained first novel sort of thing or weak editing.

a masterpiece

i keep coming back to this one, it stays with you and calls you back.

Heartbreaking Depiction of Iraq Experience

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would recommend this audiobook to anyone who has been touched by the Iraq war--especially those left behind on the home front. I believe that Matterhorn was the definitive novel of Viet Nam, and Yellow Birds may be the same for Iraq. Kevin Powers writes beautifully--the language alone is worth the price of the book.The story is both difficult and powerful. It was challenging to try to guess the final outcome as the plot was so well executed. It was easy to visualize the main characters, who were strongly written. The settings were also very easy to visualize because of Powers' gift with descriptive words and phrases.

What other book might you compare The Yellow Birds to and why?

Two books that compare to The Yellow Birds are The Red Badge of Courage for the American Civil War and Matterhorn for the Viet Nam conflict. All three books are written from the perspective of young, inexperienced soldiers and all three contain great poignancy as the main characters struggle to make sense of their experiences.

What about Holter Graham’s performance did you like?

This is the first time I have purchased a book read by Holter Graham. While listening, I thought that perhaps it was being read by the author because the delivery was so personal. He was able to capture accents beautifully, as well as convey both drudgery and despair. His military voices and the voices of interpreters were especially powerful. It was easy to forget about the reader, as the story was so well delivered.

Any additional comments?

I don't often find a book that deserves five stars in all categories, but it was easy to give this audible's highest rating. Although not an easy read, it is a story that will remain with the listener. Well defined characters, setting and plot make this a great choice for the discerning listener.

Stupid Yellow Birds

If you could sum up The Yellow Birds in three words, what would they be?

Kleenex, Advil, and weeping

Who was your favorite character and why?

Bartle. Poor kid never knew what was coming and couldn't even stop it if he had. Damn war, makes messes of all their lives.

Which scene was your favorite?

You know, I didn't have a favorite scene. It's damn hard to pick a favorite scene when the whole story is so sad and depressive. The fact that it's a completely honest look at what could happen to all our troops when they get home from the war makes it all the worse. Fiction or not, it's crippling.

That being said, it really makes you think about how to treat our soldiers when they get home. Thank you all for your service. It's never enough, but I'll never stop saying it.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No. There's only so much sadness I can handle in one sitting. It's a great story, but I wept through most of it so much that I gave myself many migranes. The saddest part is that the soldiers fighting can't take a break when the war gets too much for them to handle.

Any additional comments?

This one isn't for the weak of heart, but if you've got someone fighting, you need to hear this one. It may be too late for some who have been diagnosed with PTSD, which is what I think Bartle has, but being sensitive to it and helping when you can will help. This one will make you want to take breaks often, but keep coming back to it. It's got a good ending, even if it's heart breaking to get through.

YELLOW BIRDS

Kevin Powers is a thirty-something, first-book’ author that explains what it is like to be a soldier in combat. Powers recreates war experience in Iraq and shows how combat affects a soldier’s life. “The Yellow Birds”’title comes from a boot-camp’ marching song but is about more than a walking cadence mnemonic; i.e. yellow symbolizes cowardice—its symptoms of fear, self-loathing, and death. Powers’ book-title presages yellowness in his story of war.

“The Yellow Birds” tells the story of how combat affects soldiers; i.e. it explains how heroes can become villains, how cowards can become heroes, and how every soldier is scarred by the experience of battle. War is a mess of contradictions that confuse the mind, torture the truth, and leave soldiers, parents, children, and friends alone, often broken-spirited, and sometimes broken-hearted.

As Bertrand Russell said, “War does not determine who is right—only who is left.”

Bartleby in Iraq?

The book's prose is lyrical, and the book depicts the alienating and isolating experiences of war in a way that is convincing (to me). The authorial voice is a powerful one.

The inevitably brutal ending is awful and and convincing and yet, from a purely plot mechanics point of view, I was left wondering what just happened.

The narrator is excellent. More from him, please.

WOW! Should be required high school reading!

While I don't read a lot of "war" books, I have to say that this book was one of the most compelling books I have read in a long time. It is grisly, lyrical, timely, ancient, and so moving. I practically read it in one sitting (it's not too long). It's also really well read--really almost "acted", so well read. But the writing is what counts: it is a stunning book. I will get a copy of the book out of the library, as there are parts of the book that I want to reread, just for the shear beauty of the words and wisdom of what they say. I've read many of the NYT 2012 top ten and in my opinion, this is by far the best so far.

a beautiful, painfully human story well captured.

The poetic, heart breaking honesty shown by this author as he struggles to find the meaning behind random chance, best intention and inevitable human failure is both gorgeous and haunting.

The man reading captures this fantastic reverence.

This is a must listen.