A classic work of American literature that has not stopped changing minds and lives since it burst onto the literary scene, The Things They Carried is a ground-breaking meditation on war, memory, imagination, and the redemptive power of storytelling. The Things They Carried depicts the men of Alpha Company: Jimmy Cross, Henry Dobbins, Rat Kiley, Mitchell Sanders, Norman Bowker, Kiowa, and the … Norman Bowker, Kiowa, and the character Tim O’Brien, who has survived his tour in Vietnam to become a father and writer at the age of forty-three.
Taught everywhere–from high school classrooms to graduate seminars in creative writing–it has become required reading for any American and continues to challenge readers in their perceptions of fact and fiction, war and peace, courage and fear and longing.
The Things They Carried won France’s prestigious Prix du Meilleur Livre Etranger and the Chicago Tribune Heartland Prize; it was also a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award.
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Well written story about soldiers in Vietnam. On the surface it reference the literal things they carried but it is more about the burden they carried for the country they served.
Great writing (NY Times Book of the Century), great story-telling, memorable characters. This book was given to me by my Granddaughter for Christmas and I loved it. This guy can write!
Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried is one of the most impressive and enduring pieces of literature examining the Vietnam War. Evoking devastating insight and visceral impact, the book has been an instant classic since its publication in 1990. O’Brien’s stories confront his traumatic and haunted memories of Vietnam. He forces us to examine more closely a war that will not fade from the American consciousness. His stories are revelatory and confessional. They communicate most intensely the psychological scars that soldiers carry. Finishing as a runner-up for the Pulitzer Prize, the book has remained exceedingly important as a mainstay in college courses ranging from the history to the English departments. O’Brien’s landmark book continues to serve as a vital document helping us address and understand the burdens of war.
An absolute must-read for all humans and some robots and aliens. For real though, this book made me better writer just by reading it, it’s that good.
Tim O’Brien created an instant contemporary classic with THE THINGS THEY CARRIED. It is frieghted with realistic portrayals of the vets and their struggles against their Vietnamese foes as well as the internal battles they fight. It is what the author calls, “a true war novel”.
The author recalls his first hand account of his time serving in Vietnam. He tells about how he was torn between even going in the first place and then when he gets there he tells about the other men in his platoon and how close they have to get. He tells about the things they lost, people, limbs, weight, and the things they gain, nightmares, scars, illness. His personal stories show the struggle these men face there and when they get back
One of the best books about the Vietnam War. Excellent.
I did enjoy reading this book, the setting in Vietnam was great. I just have to give it 3 stars due to having to read this for school, and it not being on my own accord. This is one of those that I did enjoy reading for school and I felt that it one that should be read