Fallen Angels

Myers, W. (2008). Fallen Angels. Walter Dean Myers. New York, New York: Scholastic, Inc.

Annotation: This is a riveting story about a young, black boy from Harlem that is not able to go to college, so he enlists in the army and goes off to Vietnam War. He is faced with warfare and wonders why black men in the army are given the most dangerous tasks. It is truly a book to reflect on.

Genre: Coming-of-age

Grade Level: 9-12

Readers who would like this: This would be a great book for someone to read, because it is based on the realities of what our world was like and still like today. It is a heartfelt and thought-provoking book.

Ratings/Response: I give this book a 4, this is an outstanding and well written book. I read it in one sitting. I suggest anyone to read this book.

Reading Strategy: I think the reading logs would be a good way to gauge the students' thoughts and interpretation of the book. I think this along with silent reading strategy would be best for this book. The reading log, students write down what they read and a summary of what they read. The teacher is able to gauge a students true understanding of the book. Silent reading is important as well, because the students that the book is aimed at are more than capable of silently reading to themselves. These two strategies hand-in-hand will keep the teacher aware of how well they are able to comprehend the book as well as gauge their progress in how much they are reading. For grades 9-12, I feel that these are the most appropriate strategies. I think having discussion circles throughout reading the book would be good discussion for the students as well.