Invasion

Nicely written with just enough of the horrors of the war to show the deep impact it has on those fighting for their countries.

This is the third novel in a loosely-connected series of war stories by Walter Dean Myers. Marcus Perry, one of the lead characters in this novel, is father to Richie Perry ("Fallen Angels"). Richie is Uncle to Robin Perry of "Sunrise in Fallujah". Marcus Perry is not the main character in this novel, however. Josiah Wedgewood (Woody) is his hometown friend who fights in the infantry, and most of this book centers around Woody's experiences with war. "Invasion" deals with the storming of Omaha beach and fighting the Germans in Normandy. The action in this novel is graphic and realistic. The language is explicit, but not out of place, considering the events of the book. With every battle, more and more of Woody's fellow soldiers are killed. The deaths take their toll on everyone and everyone has a different way of coping (or not coping) with the experience. The author's note at the end of the novel is excellent and helps to put this novel in context. Although I didn't like this book as much as "Fallen Angels", I would definitely recommend it.

It was a good book. It kept you on edge wondering what was going to happen next and made the book interesting.

I had a very good time reading this book, It was good and never boring. If you order this book, you will not be disappointed.

Very interesting

This is marketed for ages 12 and up, parents and educators should be aware that the language is very crass and the f word appears multiple times. As far as the story, it is okay. While it is probably realistic, the language detracts from the story, I think especially so for this age group There does seem to be some modern attitudes and speech patterns that would not be historically accurate, for example the inter racial friendship. Also, I would have thought that a Catholic priest would have given general absolution rather than an interfaith blessing. And that a panicked Catholic would recite the Hail Mary rather than the Our Father. But I do appreciate the authors including the faith element. The authors end note mentions that his son is a military chaplain.

Walter Dean Myers turns out books so quickly and of such quality that I'm beginning to think he's a writing cyborg. "Invasion" is an accessible novel for teens, even if their knowledge of WWII is negligible. The novel is well-researched (with the exception of a few phrases that don't fit the time period - the main character talks about "zoning out" and that something "sucked"). Myers has the gift of creating characters in a few short sentences, a talent that is appreciated in his war novels where there are many soldiers in the outfits who need to be differentiated. Myers captures the tedium of war and the horror of war, once again using an ordinary soldier as our narrator and tour guide to the insanity. As an English teacher, I'm glad to have a readable book of historical fiction to recommend to my students.

Great book! I lover reading about wwll.