In his book, Tim O’Brien draws readers in with The Things They Carried. He tells the stories shared between men in the Vietnam War. The ugly and gruesome parts are told along with the few peaceful moments the men had in Vietnam and back home.
Shelby O’Brien
Reporter
The Things They Carried has been a book I reread every few months. I chose to review it because it brings attention to the cruel reality of the Vietnam War and the men and women affected by it.
It talks about the agony and pain that the Vietnam War brought. It tells the stories of young men and their experiences with growing up and living with these harsh memories. The effects of the war are carried with these men throughout the rest of their lives.
The story is told through the eyes of Tim O’Brien. Throughout the book, he shares the stories of the men in his company who he went to war with. The Alpha Company included Tim O’Brien, Jimmy Cross, Norman Bowker, Rat Kiley, Mitchell Sanders, Henry Dobbins, and Kiowa. These men all share one thing in common and that’s the war..
The story takes place in Vietnam mostly. O’Brien tells stories of what occurred overseas and how the men got through it. Near the end of the book O’Brien tells about life after the war and what he did with himself.
The Things They Carried was published on March 28, 1990. This collection of short stories has received many awards in the years that followed.
I like this book because of its honesty. It doesn’t shelter the cruel parts that happened during the war. It also shows us the effects that war takes on soldiers and how they deal with it over the years. Something that is interesting to me is every time I reread the book, I also notice something new that I didn’t pick up on last time. It’s almost like there’s more stories hidden within the words.
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