The Things They Carried - REVIEW

     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.

     Tim O’Brien was already an established writer when he penned The Things They Carried. He had won the National Book Award in 1979 for Going After Cacciato, and subsequent works such as The Nuclear Age were met with much acclaim. The Things They Carried, classified as fiction, recalls many of the incidents O’ Brien witnessed as a soldier in the Vietnam War. In his novel, he names the protagonist after himself and believes the best way to convey the horrific effect of war is to blend elements of fiction and nonfiction. O’Brien uses the words “things” soldiers “carry” as more of an emotional than physical metaphor. The author has been called one of the finest writers ever to focus on the Vietnam War. 

     The Library of Congress 2016 exhibit "America Reads" considers The Things They Carried one of "the most influential books written and read in America and their impact on our lives".

The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien
Mariner | ISBN: 978-0-618-70641-9