Invasion

by Walter Dean Myers Narrated by Nick Cordero

Overview

Walter Dean Myers brilliantly renders the realities of World War II. Josiah Wedgewood and Marcus Perry are on their way to an uncertain future. Their whole lives are ahead of them, yet at the same time, death's whisper is everywhere. One white, one black, these young men have nothing in common and everything in common as they approach an experience that will change them forever. It's May 1944. World War II is ramping up, and so are these young recruits, ready and eager. In small towns and big cities all over the globe, people are filled with fear. When Josiah and Marcus come together in what will be the greatest test of their lives, they learn hard lessons about race, friendship, and what it really means to fight. Set on the front lines of the Normandy invasion, this novel, rendered with heart-in-the-throat precision, is a cinematic masterpiece. Here we see the bold terror of war, and also the nuanced havoc that affects a young person's psyche while living in a barrack, not knowing if today he will end up dead or alive.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Praise for INVASION"Meyers has done peace an inestimable service by showing so vividly what a truly terrible idea war is."—BOOKLIST"An action-packed novel that will help young readers understand the brutality of war."—KIRKUS "With the constant forward momentum of the soldiers, and the continuous battles they fight, this novel can be hard to read, but it is also hard to put down."—SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNALPraise for FALLEN ANGELS* "War-story fans will find enough action here, though it isn't glorified . . . Readers will be haunted." — KIRKUS REVIEWS, starred review* "A riveting account of the Vietnam War." — SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL, starred review* "This gut-wrenching Vietnam War novel . . . breaks uncharted ground." — BOOKLIST, starred reviewPraise for SUNRISE OVER FALLUJAH"Astonishing." — THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW"Superb." — SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLEPraise for THE GLORY FIELD* "This series of resonant stories shows how each generation comes of age by taking a stand against oppression. In his typically taut, economic prose, Myers illuminates shadowy corners of history." — PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, starred review* "A stunning novel . . . a must read for absolutely everyone." — KIRKUS REVIEWS, starred review

Kirkus Reviews

D-Day, June 6, 1944, is the setting for Myers' powerful prequel to Fallen Angels (1988) and Sunrise over Fallujah (2008). Old friends Josiah "Woody" Wedgewood and Marcus Perry see each other in England prior to the invasion of Normandy. Woody is with the 29th Infantry, and Marcus, who's black, is with the Transportation Corps, the segregation of their Virginia hometown following them right into wartime. Their friendship frames the story, as the two occasionally encounter each other in the horrific days ahead. Woody survives the slaughter on Omaha Beach to continue marching across fields, through forests and on to the town of St. Lo, though there is no town anymore: "We hadn't liberated anything, or anyone. We had destroyed the city, killed or chased away most of the people in it, and were claiming a victory." Woody's first-person account focuses on action scenes, cinematically developed and graphic enough to reveal something of the brutality and frequent futility of war, while his friendship with Marcus, peripheral to the central narrative, reminds him of home. "June sixth changed us all," says Woody, and he understands that, if he survives, he will never be able to convey what war really is to those who stayed on the homefront. An author's note goes into greater depth about integration in the U.S. Army in the 1940s. An action-packed novel that will help young readers understand the brutality of war. (author's note) (Historical fiction. 12 & up)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940169099942
Publisher:	Recorded Books, LLC
Publication date:	09/24/2013
Edition description:	Unabridged

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