The Yellow Birds Book Review

By: Connor Hendry

Every story has two sides that need to be told to completely capture the true meaning of a
story. Without both sides of the story, it can lack important details that can completely change
the way it is perceived. In the fiction novel ​The Yellow Birds​ by Kevin Powers he uses the
contrast of war and civilian life to illuminate the hidden issues soldiers face in today's world.
The military is many people’s option after high school, especially when they are not sure
what the next step in life should be. This was the case for the main characters Bartle and Murph.
Both not knowing what to do, they joined the military to keep busy. Unfortunately they did not
know exactly what they were getting into. After repeatedly facing conditions nobody should face
in life it was easy to see that something has changed in the both of them. Kevin Powers
obviously knew what he was talking about when writing this novel because he had the past
experience of being an Iraq war veterain. Having such a past helped Kevin receive ​New York
Times ​100 Most Notable Books of 2012 and a Finalist for the 2012 National Book Award.
It was very clear that the purpose of this story is to help reveal the concerns in mental
health of active and returning soldiers. Bartle gets so acclimated to life in Iraq that he has a hard
time returning home. Not knowing what to do with himself he turns to alcohol, sleeping all day
and being disrespectful to his mother. He feels like his only purpose is the military and wishes
he never came home. On the other hand Murph feels way over his head and wishes he had
nothing to do with the life of a soldier. He is ready to leave and focus on a life as far away from
war as possible. These issues are commonly overlooked and seeing them happen in this novel
helps progress change in our veterans.
A home is a place of comfort where the person living in it should feel safe, relaxed. That
is the exact opposite of what Bartle felt upon returning. The constant thought of being watched
crept over his shoulder even in his own bed room, and his mother can see that. ​I felt as if I’d
somehow been returned to the singular safety of the womb, untouched and untouchable to the
world outside her arms around my slouching neck. I was aware of all this, though I am not sure
how. Yet when she said, “Oh, John, you’re home,” I did not believe her. This goes to show that
even when he is home, he doesn't really feel at home.
In my opinion I feel as if the movie sets the scene of being in a real war better than the
novel. Unlike the novel, I felt entertained throughout the movie. Seeing the outbreak of
emotions rather than reading them is always better. Although the movie was better in my
opinion, I see a difference between the novel and the movie in a way that the novel captures the
mental health issues better. This is because in the novel we are able to see characters thoughts
even when they aren’t speaking.
War is a hard subject for veterans and on going soldiers to talk about, and keeping
everything to themselves can sometimes take a toll on their mental health. Kevin Power’s does a
great job presenting the key issues that still need to be solved. Now it’s up to us to make the
changes needed to help the people that help us the most.