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

Profound Insights of the effects of the Iraqi War

This book lifts O'Brien's war experience book, The Things They Carried to the next level. It is the sensitive touching story of the warm and caring relationship of two soldiers and their sargeant in the midst of a cruel and pointless war. Powers powerfully demonstrates what he means when he stated that there is a big difference between what one remembers, what one tells, and what is true. It is amazing that Powers, who is such a well-trained and gifted writer, chose to fight in Iraq and tell us what he remembered and saw as his truth.

Skip the audiobook.

Would you listen to The Yellow Birds again? Why?

No. The narrator's interpretation is wrong.

Would you be willing to try another book from Kevin Powers? Why or why not?

Certainly. He shows great promise as a thinker and writer.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Holter Graham?

Anyone who prefers a little decaf before reading.

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

No. The printed book is readable in a sitting.

Any additional comments?

I can't imagine that Powers had any input into the narration.

An unusually profound book.

Would you listen to The Yellow Birds again? Why?

I never listen to books twice

Who was your favorite character and why?

The narrator, he was honest and deep thinking.

Which scene was your favorite?

The scene in the German bar.

Who was the most memorable character of The Yellow Birds and why?

Again, the narrator.

Any additional comments?

Reads like poetry without the self-indulgence. One of the most evocative books I've ever read.

Gets to your soul

This book was my final paper at school. Not really my type of book, but I enjoyed it. Profound, many details, poetic and real life cruelty. Well written for being Power's first book. It has the war's horrors and the most human and inexplicable actions. You will be sad and happy during the whole book.

An intimate look at one person’s war

In simple storytelling, the author crafts a remarkable story of being young and at war. The internal conflict in the narrator clear and present.

Not terrible

This wasn't what I was expecting, so perhaps that is why I was not overwhelmed with this book. It's good, but the subject matter it probably tough for some. Post traumatic stress from war and military service. I wasn't sure where the book was going, and when it was over, I wasn't sure where it had ended up.

Bored

I tried giving this book a chance based on a recommendation I was given.
But, it felt long winded for such a short book. The characters were generic stereotypes of military personal. Why did it seem like I was listening to classic literature when the story is set in modern times. I know Bart is an avatar for the author but it’s hard to believe that a 21 year old kid is talking and thinking like someone that’s an author from the early 20th century. Would be a great short story, doesn’t need the poetic fluff.

Would have made a good short story

I found the author's multiplicity and overuse of adverbs and adjectives draining and felt like his editor has stretched a good short story or novella into a "book". I also don't agree with the high ratings if this book is compared to some of the true classics of both fiction and non-fiction in this genre. (War by Sebastian Junger, Blackhawk Down, Matterhorn, The Things They Carried, Unbroken, The Thin Red Line, Das Boot)

another whiny war story

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

nothing. this book recycles elements from the movie Platoon, and other war stories.

What was most disappointing about Kevin Powers’s story?

The recycled war cliches. The tough gritty sergeant. The naive private. The sharply dressed general who only visits the front lines for a pep talk. Mostly, this book is just another sob story about how bad war is, and loss of innocence and all that nonsense. First of all, Iraq wasnt that bad compared to other wars. Second, believe it or not, getting shot at is fun. Killing people who tried to kill you is fun. The rush and brotherhood with your friends is something that lasts a lifetime. I'm an Afghanistan veteran (2 combat deployments with the Marines) and I can tell you for sure that no one was whining like Powers' characters, before, during, or after deployment. We weren't gung ho either, but this book just propagates the notion that war is this terrible ordeal in which everyone comes out psychologically damaged. Definetely NOT recomended