The Yellow Birds: A Novel

by Kevin Powers Narrated by Holter Graham

Overview

Finalist for the National Book Award, The Yellow Birds is the harrowing story of two young soldiers trying to stay alive in Iraq.

"The war tried to kill us in the spring." So begins this powerful account of friendship and loss.

In Al Tafar, Iraq, twenty-one-year old Private Bartle and eighteen-year-old Private Murphy cling to life as their platoon launches a bloody battle for the city. Bound together since basic training when Bartle makes a promise to bring Murphy safely home, the two have been dropped into a war neither is prepared for.

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. As reality begins to blur into a hazy nightmare, Murphy becomes increasingly unmoored from the world around him and Bartle takes actions he could never have imagined.

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 that is destined to become a classic.

Editorial Reviews

SEPTEMBER 2012 - AudioFile

Holter Graham is the perfect choice to narrate this gritty, masculine depiction of the contradictions of war, in this case, the war in Iraq. His husky timbre brings the youthful protagonists closer to the listener. He also distinguishes between the enlisted men and the older officers in many of the scenes. Graham masterfully moves between narration and dialogue, keeping the listener’s attention throughout the tense imaginings of war. His smooth delivery creates a cadence that is broken only for emphasis at critical moments. The Arabic-accented English of the Iraqi characters may feel heavy on the ear to those familiar with this part of the world—as will inflected Arabic words—but these weaknesses are easily forgiven in view of the other strengths of this production. M.R. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine

SEPTEMBER 2012 - AudioFile

Holter Graham is the perfect choice to narrate this gritty, masculine depiction of the contradictions of war, in this case, the war in Iraq. His husky timbre brings the youthful protagonists closer to the listener. He also distinguishes between the enlisted men and the older officers in many of the scenes. Graham masterfully moves between narration and dialogue, keeping the listener’s attention throughout the tense imaginings of war. His smooth delivery creates a cadence that is broken only for emphasis at critical moments. The Arabic-accented English of the Iraqi characters may feel heavy on the ear to those familiar with this part of the world—as will inflected Arabic words—but these weaknesses are easily forgiven in view of the other strengths of this production. M.R. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID:	2940170320929
Publisher:	Hachette Audio
Publication date:	09/11/2012
Edition description:	Unabridged

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