As a Black American, Birdy's position in the Iraq War is complicated. He's an American, but often, he looks more like the Iraqis than some of the people in his own unit. He also understands what it's like to be oppressed, so he sometimes feels weird playing the role of the invader.
Birdy isn't alone in this. Plenty of other soldiers in Sunrise Over Fallujah are Black, including his best friend Jonesy. And then there's Ahmed, who might feel even more in the middle, with his Islamic name and ability to speak Arabic. Race isn't a major subject in this book, but in little ways, it keeps coming up.
Questions About Race
- Why does Marla bring up Birdy's dark skin?
- Why do Jonesy and Birdy throw Pendleton shade after he refers to Jamil as a slave?
- How does Birdy feel when soldiers keep assuming he's Iraqi?
- How does Birdy compare some of his experiences to those of the Iraqis?
Chew on This
The author uses Jonesy's character and dialogue to compare the plight of the Iraqis to what's it's like to be Black in America.
The soldiers are being a little racist when they keep feeling the need to point out Birdy's Iraqi-like dark skin.