Community Corner
Kensington Library Book Club - "Yellow Birds" by Kevin Powers
Starkly absorbing,
Yellow Birds is written by an Iraq
war veteran who joined the army at 17. Now he is a Michener Fellow at the
University of Texas at Austin, getting his MFA. His protagonists, 21-year-old
Private Bartle and 18-year-old Private Murphy, are sustained by their
friendship, but the war they were never really prepared to fight changes them
both.
In Al Tafar, Iraq, Privates Bartle
and Murphy cling to life as their platoon launches a bloody battle for the
city. In the 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. With
profound insight, especially into the effects of a hidden war on mothers and
families at home, Yellow Birds is a
groundbreaking novel about the costs of war that is destined to become a
classic.
Book club meetings are usually held on the fourth Monday of
every month in the library at 7:00 p.m. New members are always welcome.
