The Yellow BirdsThe Yellow Birds
Score Modern
What it's about
In Kevin Powers's haunting novel, an Iraq War veteran looks back on the lives, including his own, devastated by the random violence of war.
Why it's worth reading
It was a National Book Award finalist and spent 20 weeks on the New York Times bestseller lists. It's a haunting war novel by a veteran.
You'll love it if you liked
Redeployment
The Things They Carried
MatterhornGood to know
It's short and poetic. It moves between the war and the aftermath.
By the numbers
- Readers33 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics30 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller33 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Buzz1 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #249 of the 309 literary novels we rank
- #1160 of the 1,573 modern books we rank
- #2142 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Dark
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Quick answers
Is The Yellow Birds worth reading?
Yes. It was a National Book Award finalist and spent 20 weeks on the New York Times bestseller lists. It ranks #2,142 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 62.5 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is The Yellow Birds about?
In Kevin Powers's haunting novel, an Iraq War veteran looks back on the lives, including his own, devastated by the random violence of war.
How long does it take to read The Yellow Birds?
About 6 hours (226 pages), or about 2 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after The Yellow Birds?
If you liked it, try Redeployment by Phil Klay, The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien or Matterhorn by Karl Marlantes.