The Yellow Birds

Iraq war veteran and poet Kevin Powers, tells the story of machine gunner Pvt. John Bartell, his younger sidekick, Pvt. Murphy, and battle scarred Sergeant Sterling as they fight to capture the city of Al Tafar, Iraq. Though the subject and tone of the book is grim, it is beautifully written and offers real insights into the thoughts and feelings of a soldier struggling to survive and make sense of his experiences. Told in the first person, it reads like memoir but was a finalist for the National Book Award in Fiction.