The Things They Carried - Hardcover

O'Brien, Tim

4.14

314,673 ratings by Goodreads

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 078070360X ISBN 13: 9780780703605

Publisher: Perfection Learning, 1991

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A sequence of stories about the Vietnam War, this book also has the unity of a novel, with recurring characters and interwoven strands of plot and theme. It aims to summarize America's involvement in Vietnam, and her coming to terms with that experience in the years that followed.

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Review:

‘One of the best war books of this century, an unflinching attempt to illuminate both its obscene physical brutality and the terrible mental overload’ Guardian

‘A thrilling and beautiful distillation of everything that has been thought, felt, or said about the Vietnam War and its long afterburn. A heartbreaking and healing masterpiece; time will make it a classic’ Michael Herr, author of Dispatches

‘Essential...O’Brien captures the war’s pulsating rhythms and nerve-racking dangers...a stunning performance. The overall effect of these original tales is devastating’ New York Times

From the Back Cover:

"The Things They Carried is as good as any piece of literature can get." -- Chicago Sun-Times

A New York Times Book of the Century A Pulitzer Prize Finalist A National Book Critics' Circle Award Finalist Winner of the Prix du Meilleur Livre Etranger (France) Winner of the Chicago Tribune Heartland Prize

"A marvel of storytelling... a vital important book-- a book that matters not only to the reader interested in Vietnam, but to anyone interested in the craft of writing as well." -- New York Times

"This is writing so powerful that it steals your breath. ... The Things They Carried is about more than war, of course. It is about the human heart and emotional baggage and loyalty and love. It is about the difference between 'truth' and 'reality.' It is about death--and life."--Milwaukee Journal

"Rendered with an evocative, quiet precision, not equaled in the imaginative literature of the American war in Vietnam." --Washington Post
"You ve got to read this book . In a world filled too often with numbness, or shifting values, these stories shine in a strange and opposite direction, moving against the flow, illuminating life's wonder, life's tenuousness, life's importance." -- Dallas Morning News

"A book so searing and immediate you can almost hear the choppers in the background." -- The Boston Globe

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