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Summary: The Power of Fiction
Review: Fiction can capture the feel of an experience in ways that a "true" account cannot. Tim O'Brien knows that about writing, and he knew it when he began to shape his stories about Vietnam. I know these things to be true because I teach literature to college students, I teach a course on the war, and I was--like O'Brien's Jimmy Cross--a young lieutenant in Vietnam in 1970. In my view, the title story of this book is the most important piece of short fiction to come out of the war. When I read it, I relived, and came to better understanding of the terrible burden of command in combat. I told Tim O'Brien all of this when he autographed my copy of his book a few years ago. Thanks, Tim.
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Summary: The Things They Carried
Review: This book delivered much more than I ever expected. It not only transports the reader into the physical battlefields of the Vietnam War, but also deals with the mental and psychological effects that accompany the battles. It is a quick read, but it will at the same time leave you thinking about the material for hours after finishing the book. Without a doubt, O'Brien has crafted in The Things They Carried one of the most thought provocing novels about war.
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Summary: Writing what you know...
Review: That's the most imporantant thing when attempting a story, a poem, or even an essay. Write what you know. Few people have been able to accurately portray war (something this author definitely knows) through the art of story telling like Tim O'Brien. Your stomach will twist when you read these stories, but you'll know it is true.Perhaps the best work in this collection is "How to Tell a True War Story." This is not a traditional story, rather it is an ambitious essay concering the art of telling stories. You will learn what writers do, how they get away with what they write, how they know what will appear as true and why it matters. There is a lot of information for writers and readers in between the lines, between the didactic lessons O'Brien offers about telling stories and the wonderful narrative. This book is worth getting for that essay alone. No one should write another word without having read it.
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Summary: The Things They Carried
Review: The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien is definity one of the best war books I have ever read. Tim has a talent of making you really feel how he and his other war buddies felt during Vietnam. This book isn't one of those books where the war hero talks about all the people he killed and the intense training he went through, but rather how he feared death and many things during the war. It tells you about how great people died in this war that could have been even greater people afterwards. I had to pretend to sell a book to my class for a project and when I was done, the teacher is now reading it and when she is done, will make the class read it as a whole and experience this great piece of literature. Enjoy.
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Summary: Very Good Book
Review: I read the book "The Things They Carried," because I enjoy reading books about real life things that actually went on. I have never read a book about the Vietnam war, so I thought I'd give it a try. I thought it was an awesome book, if you wanted to read about war stuff, I think it's good because it explained things very well. when I was reading this book I could actually picture in my mind what they were doing and what they were feeling. Even though this book doesn't relate at all to my life because I really don't have a close relative that was in a war. I can still relate to how they were feeling when they were hiding out all night, to watch out for the enemies, because I get scared really easy, and I was actually getting scared when I was reading this book, because some of the things they were doing in the book I could actually picture doing it. I really think that this is an excellent book and I would recommend that all people should read this book just to get an idea of what the warriors actually went through during the war, and to read how hard and stressful this time of their lives must have been. So anyone who likes to read about this kind of stuff, read this book now!
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Summary: This is the single greatest Vietnam novel
Review: The things they carried is a book that forces the reader to become emotionally involved. I found myself highly involved with this book mainly because of O'Brien's descriptions.I have never read a book with more attention to detail in all my life. I had trouble putting the book down because I felt so emotionally attached. The story itself is no less than magnificent, very exciting to read because of the flashbacks and changes in the plot. Character development is also a very big thing in this book and each main character was described from their family backgrounds to the way they wore their dog tags. After reading many Vietnam novels, not one has been as compelling and exciting as The Things They Carried. I will hold on to this book forever and I am sure that I will read it a couple times a year.
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Summary: True Fiction
Review: This is a wonderful book. It tells the horrors of Vietnam so that one thinks you are really there. Especially if you were not around during that time it gives you a glimpse into the horror of that war. Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong was my favorite story. In fact at first I thought this book was non-fiction. If you want a book whose stories seem true to life this is the book for you.
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Summary: The Things They Carried
Review: This past summer I had the pleasure of reading The Things They Carried by Tim O'brien. The book goes into great detail discussing quite literally the things that the U.S. soldiers of the Vietnam war carried along with them into combat. The book clearly illustrates the horrors of war and touches upon the friendships and aquaintances that come along with the process. I loved how the book asked questions. It asked lots of questions having to do with the things in life that people have to face everyday, not just when they are in the midst of a terrible war. It asks such questions as, "How do you generalize?" The author has lots of insight into many different points in his life and he uses mind-boggling examples to help express all of his feelings. I really felt as if I had the chance to get to know Tim O'brien and by the end of the book I was wishing that I could sit down and have a real conversation with him. I would most definitely give this book five stars. It made sense of complex issues and recognized that some things just can't be made sense of.
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Summary: Fragmented and Embodied Truth of Reality
Review: Tim O'Brien's, The Things They Carried, entices you, pulls you into the fragmented truth of the singular embodiment of 'The Vietnam Soldier', where your mind is subjected to the hazy and confused being of the aforementioned embodiment. O'Brien's writing not only captivates your intellect and thought, but your heart as well. He writes of the reality of, not only the Vietnam Soldier, but, consequently, humanity itself, using the striking and undeniably mesmeric meeting grounds of man in his purest, most provocative form: man in passionate danger, from which is sprung those purest emotions: hate, love, confusion, bravery, loyalty, sorrow, self-pity, self-doubt, courage, insanity (?). O'Brien tests the boundaries between reality and fiction, sanity and insanity, truth and untruth, in his writing which itself becomes an indirect reflection of the subjective reality he is trying to question. His brilliantly constructed and flowing writing has forever changed my perceptions of fiction and, being what fiction aims to imitate, life itself.
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Summary: One of the Best Books I have ever read!
Review: Like any kid in High School, you are forced to read many novels in English class. Recently my AP English class read this book. I have to say this was the best book, I have ever read. Tim O'Brien brings you into the deepest thoughts of the soldiers in the war. Throughout the book you have the feeling that the accounts he is telling you about are true, yet he repeatedly tells you they never happened. This book takes a look at the psycological torment that the soldiers faced in the war. I would say more but I think I might ruin the book for you. ;-)
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