The Things They Carried

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It's a hit!

It's widely regarded as the most significant work of fiction to come out of the Vietnam War...

It still sells 150,000 copies a year in paperback... (show more)

It's widely regarded as the most significant work of fiction to come out of the Vietnam War...

It still sells 150,000 copies a year in paperback 18 years after its original publication...

It was a finalist for both the 1990 Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award...

If you ever want to ruin yourself as a writer, read this book and then talk yourself into thinking you have a freaking prayer of duplicating it...

One of the first questions people ask about THE THINGS THEY CARRIED is this: Is it a novel, or a collection of short stories? The title page refers to the book simply as "a work of fiction," defying the conscientious reader's need to categorize this masterpiece. It is both: a collection of interrelated short pieces which ultimately reads with the dramatic force and tension of a novel. Yet each one of the twenty-two short pieces is written with such care, emotional content, and prosaic precision that it could stand on its own.

THE THINGS THEY CARRIED depicts the men of Alpha Company: Jimmy Cross, Henry Dobbins, Rat Kiley, Mitchell Sanders, Norman Bowker, Kiowa, and of course, the character Tim O'Brien who has survived his tour in Vietnam to become a father and writer at the age of forty-three. They battle the enemy (or maybe more the idea of the enemy), and occasionally each other. In their relationships we see their isolation and loneliness, their rage and fear. They miss their families, their girlfriends and buddies; they miss the lives they left back home. Yet they find sympathy and kindness for strangers (the old man who leads them unscathed through the mine field, the girl who grieves while she dances), and love for each other, because in Vietnam they are the only family they have. We hear the voices of the men and build images upon their dialogue. The way they tell stories about others, we hear them telling stories about themselves.

With the creative verve of the greatest fiction and the intimacy of a searing autobiography, THE THINGS THEY CARRIED is a testament to the men who risked their lives in America's most controversial war. It is also a mirror held up to the frailty of humanity. Ultimately THE THINGS THEY CARRIED and its myriad protagonists call to order the courage, determination, and luck we all need to survive. (show less)

 

 

by Brian Sweany

No, it's a flop!

This book had its ups and downs with me. He has some really good writing techniches that try and bring about the richness of story. However after a... (show more)

This book had its ups and downs with me. He has some really good writing techniches that try and bring about the richness of story. However after awhile it kind of got old. He would tell a story that tottaly sounds like a legit account of Nam and then he would say but this is just a story. He is trying to get across the benefit of fiction to get across the actuall feelings that just facts couldn't tell. Facts can't get at emotion so that is where story takes off. It doesn't matter if it actually happened as long as it was how you felt. This book is all about how War makes different people feel and how they cope with it. It isn't the typical War book but still a worthwile read. (show less)

 

 

by Eric James Spoelstra

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  I wanted to read this book because it was recommended by one of my lit teachers and because Tim O'Brien is a Minnesota author. I was not disappointed. This book is great and O'Brien's writing style is sheer poetry.
  This book is about the Vietnam war, in which O'Brien fought, but it is not just a simple linear description of battle scenes, etc. The title chapter is found in nearly every contemporary American short story collection, so even if you haven't read the book, you might have came acr... (show more)

  I wanted to read this book because it was recommended by one of my lit teachers and because Tim O'Brien is a Minnesota author. I was not disappointed. This book is great and O'Brien's writing style is sheer poetry.
  This book is about the Vietnam war, in which O'Brien fought, but it is not just a simple linear description of battle scenes, etc. The title chapter is found in nearly every contemporary American short story collection, so even if you haven't read the book, you might have came across the short story version, but there is much more to it than that.
  In one very poignant chapter, for example, the narrator explains how he almost dodged the draft. Although draft dodgers are usually considered cowards, he shows how it can and/or should be considered the opposite and how his cowardice prevented him from dodging the draft.
  To me, the most notable character in the book was Lt. Jimmy Cross and the way O'Brien describes the lieutenant's love for a girl back home (one who doesn't have mutual feelings) is beautiful. (show less)

   

   

  by Dustin Abraham on Jan 31, 2009 at 06:48PM

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  A book of "fictional" essays by O'Brien about his platoon while in Vietnam and after. Many of the stories have an "in your face" quality as he seeks to share insights that defy explanation. The actual experiences and the emotions that go along with them are unspeakable, yet O'Brien manages to bring them to life in a profound way. The inner workings of men at war defies the historical image of swagger, bravado, and courage. All of that is just posturing in reality. These ar... (show more)

  A book of "fictional" essays by O'Brien about his platoon while in Vietnam and after. Many of the stories have an "in your face" quality as he seeks to share insights that defy explanation. The actual experiences and the emotions that go along with them are unspeakable, yet O'Brien manages to bring them to life in a profound way. The inner workings of men at war defies the historical image of swagger, bravado, and courage. All of that is just posturing in reality. These are just boys, in a war they do not understand. And O'Brien tells these stories as only one who experienced it could.

  My favorite passage contains the following: "They carried the common secret of cowardice barely restrained, the instinct to run or freeze or hide, and in many respects this was the heaviest burden of all, for it could not be put down, it required perfect balance and perfect posture. They carried their reputations. The carried the soldier's greatest fear, which was the fear of blushing. Men killed, and died, because they were embarrassed not to."
  My
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  by Lee Ann Stedman on Nov 05, 2009 at 02:31AM

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