I understood that 'The Yellow Birds' would be a peculiar representation of the experience of being at war. I intended it to be so.

My personal opinion is that if someone writes honestly about war, it will inherently be anti-war.

Joining the military is not to be taken lightly. You're putting every part of yourself at risk, not just your body but your moral and spiritual centre.

But I remember being told that the truth does not depend on being believed.

I can't envision an honest war novel that left war in a positive light.

Noises and smells, those can bring back powerful memories. I remember when I was going to school one Fourth of July, and there were a lot of fireworks going off. I knew that I was in Richmond. I knew that I was a college student. But I thought people were shooting at me.

I understood that 'The Yellow Birds' would be a peculiar representation of the experience of being at war. I intended it to be so.