FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Steve Vehorn
Assistant Director of Communications
(804) 523-5229
[email protected]
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Award-winning author and Richmond native Kevin Powers to lead book
discussion on “The Yellow Birds”
RICHMOND, Va. (October 2, 2014) – Reynolds Community College will host author
Kevin Powers at an “Around the World Through Books” discussion on Thursday, November 6,
from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in the Lipman Auditorium of the Massey Library and Technology Center on
the Parham Road Campus, located at 1651 E. Parham Road in Richmond. This event is free
and open to the public.
The book discussion will feature Powers’ novel “The Yellow Birds”. In Al Tafar, Iraq, 21 year-old
Private Bartle and 18 year-old Private Murphy cling to life as their platoon launches a bloody
battle for the city. In the endless days that follow, the two young soldiers do everything to protect
each other from the forces that press in on every side: the insurgents, physical fatigue, and the
mental stress that comes from constant danger.
“The Yellow Birds” also examines the reactions of soldiers after their deployments. Powers’
character Bartle enters a state in which he does not want to leave his house upon his return
from the war and slowly deteriorates as the novel progresses. Powers stated: "I wanted to show
the whole picture. It's not just: you get off the plane, you're back home, everything's fine. Maybe
the physical danger ends, but soldiers are still deeply at risk of being injured in a different way. I
thought it was important to acknowledge that.”
The program is a free community event sponsored by Reynolds’s Multicultural Enrichment
Council for the purpose of encouraging cultural diversity throughout the Reynolds campuses
and communities. For more information about this event please contact Lisa Bishop
([email protected]) or visit www.reynolds.edu.
Serving over 20,000 students annually, J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College is the youngest and third
largest of 23 community colleges in Virginia. The College operates three campuses serving residents in the
City of Richmond and the counties of Henrico, Hanover, Goochland, Powhatan and Louisa.
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