Fallen Angels

Prolific children’s author Walter Dean Myers published his novel Fallen Angels in 1988. The young adult novel tells the story of a 17-year-old African American teenager from Harlem named Richie Perry who enlists in the United States Army during the Vietnam War. The novel follows Perry as he faces the realities of war with his fellow soldiers and transitions into adulthood on the battlefield. The novel contemplates racial and socio-economic issues in the US, the transition from childhood to adulthood, and the psychological impacts of war on soldiers. Fallen Angels won the Coretta Scott King Author Award in 1989. Other works by Myers include Slam!, The Greatest: Muhammad Ali, and Street Love.

This study guide refers to the special anniversary edition of the novel published in May 2008 by Scholastic Inc.

Content Warning: The source text and this guide discuss war, graphic depictions of violence and death, and racial discrimination and racist language.

Plot Summary

Richie Perry is a 17-year-old African American recent high school graduate who joins the United States Army to kickstart his future career goals. Perry is sent to Vietnam to fight in the Vietnam War in 1967, harboring lofty ideas of heroism and morality in war.