The Things They Carried
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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.
DESCRIPTION:
Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780767902892
ISBN: 0767902890
Label: Broadway
Manufacturer: Broadway
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 272
Publication Date: 1998-12-29
Publisher: Broadway
Release Date: 1998-12-29
Studio: Broadway
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CUSTOMER REVIEWS:
Customer Rating: 
Summary: gifted writer-horrible book
Comment: I stopped reading about 1/3 of the way through. Although Mr. O'Brien is a gifted writer, he seems to wallow in the absolutely worst aspects of the Vietnam experience. Since this book is required reading in many high schools, I was doubly upset.
When I first started the book I asked a Vietnam vet I know if he had read it. He looked at me and said "you won't like it-I didn't". Since he never talks about his experience, he would not elaborate.
I have since learned from someone who went to a question and answer session with the author, that he admitted that a lot of the book was fiction, and would not even say whether or not he had ever served in Vietnam.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Amazing Fiction ...or is it non-fiction ?
Comment: This book is not just another story about a soldier in Vietman. Tim O'Brien's words make you feel as though you truly were there. You'll experience emotions like you never have before. A brilliant story.... war and its soldiers we should never forget !
Customer Rating:
Summary: Brings the Vietnam experience into real time perspective.
Comment: This thoughtful and elegantly written book gave true insight into the people who were there. I sent it to my son who is serving in Iraq.
Customer Rating:
Summary: The Stories They Carried - reviewed by Nate Anderson
Comment: The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien is a work of fiction and a masterpiece of literature. The fact that it is a work of fiction left O'Brien with infinite artistic and literary integrity in determining the events that transpired, or never transpired, for that matter. He carries the reader through a series of obscure and deliberate stories about the emotions and actions soldiers faced in the Vietnam war. The problem many readers have with this book is that it is never clear what is true and what is false. O'Brien stresses the point that it does not matter if a specific story actually happened, because it did happen. Maybe in a different context, or a different scene, but the irresolute feeling of trying to piece together what did or didn't happen is a major theme of the book. I think the feeling of uneasiness the reader gets is supposed to act as a mirror to what the soldiers felt throughout the war. This is an assumption since I have no idea of the hardships soldiers faced in Vietnam.
The book is a very good book to read if you are aspiring to be a writer. Tim O'Brien writes in a very unique and engaging prose that makes this novel a quick read. It must not be simply skimmed through though because then a lot of meaning would be lost. This is a book that should continue to be taught in high school english classes because it requires a lot of deep and critical thinking to figure out what O'Brien is trying to say through his collection of uncomfortable short stories.
Read it. It will make you think.
Customer Rating:
Summary: More Falsehoods/Myths
Comment: This book is fiction, yet I see comments from readers stating that the book helped them understand the war. You cannot read this book and believe that you have a better understanding of the war and the soldiers that fought there. This fiction adds to the falsehoods/myths already written about the war, and unfortunately, some people believe it as fact. I read about 100 pages and toss it in the trash. It's disgusting that some continue to spread falsehoods about the Vietnam War.
If you must read it, enjoy the FICTION, but never take what you read in this book as FACT!
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