The Things They Carried

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Summary: The Things They Carried But Lost
Review: After finishing this book I was able to understand more about what happened to this man during the war. He tells about the hatred and anger that he had for the "green" doctor that did not treat him when he was shot. I personally liked the story about how he got his revenge on the doctor because it showed the fear that many of the soldiers felt while they were on watch during the night. This book showed the true fears that soldiers were feeling during their time at war. It showed the true problems that the soldiers faced such as a lack of experianced command, orders that caused many good men to die for needless reasons and fighting among each other for lack of a release of anger and frustration.

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Summary: If they carried a book
Review: IT wouldn't have been this one b/c it was written after the war

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Summary: Water Buffalo Soldiers
Review: The Things They Carried is one of my least favorite books. Not only was it a war story (war stories do not hold my interest) but it was a poorly organized war story. The short story format with O'Briens interruptions about the falsness of the stories led to a broken train of thought. I understood the themes he was trying to get across but I was dissapointed with the way he choose to accomplish it. He dramatized war to the point where all I could think about was the fighting and not the character development. I did however appreciate his efforts to bring the feelings of war closer to us. The deaths of Linda and the water buffalo definately served their purpose in bringing O'Brien's feelings on the war to a level I could understand. If this book would have had a setting other than the Vietnam war then I would have apprecited it much more. I'm just tired of bieng in school and always being told to read war stories, both fact and fiction.

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Summary: color contrasting
Review: This is a book that allows you to get a better understanding of some of the things that went on in the Vietnam war and enjoy the reading at the same time. The author contrasts real life with the war to show how chaotic the war was which also allows the reader to feel some emotions for what is going on. This book give descriptive detail showing what the soldiers went through while at war.

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Summary: The Book I Carried For Three Weeks
Review: As usual, I was'nt too excited to read this so called book that I was forced to read. I took a chance with this one, and actually started to read it, with the encouragement of my teacher. To my surprise it turned out to be a very well written book that i ended up ejoying. The stories of war were touching in their own ways. But the focus of the telling of stories was what i got out of this book the most. It explained the meaning of stories, and told how they could keep people alive. The stories that Mr. O'Brien created in his mind and decided to write down and still tell the reader that they were fiction, had a very profound impact. It showed how he could get a reader so into a story , and make them believe every single word he was saying and then just drop the bomb that it was not real. The only thing that was real about the book , was that stories arent real, they are made up, but we live through these stories, and without them we would be nothing.

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Summary: Muhamed took my title
Review: The things I carried was a very good book about the Vietnam War. I had no idea the harsh things that took place in war. I did not realize that the men fought against eachother and that the patriotism was not there. This is a good book for many reasons, it stirred up many feelings in me: happy, sad, mad, and confused. Usually if i did not like a book it wouldn't make any feelings at all, yet when i got mad it made me think why. I realized i was mad because the story was so well written. The contrast that Tim O'Brien uses makes the point hit home harder than usual. So if you want a book that will make you realize the harsh realities of war and the effects on the soldiers, grab this little beauty. peace

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Summary: The things that got me thinking.
Review: This book was very interesting. I have never read a book dealing with the Vietnam War before, so this was something new for me. The book was very strong and it really made me think. I will never fully know the true exeprience of war, but this book provided many examples to help me get a better idea about war. The stories that were told by Tim O'Brien were all different yet they all had a profound affect. He was able to really make me stop and think about how I would be acting or reacting if I was in the same situation. It really made me think of the saying you don't know what you have until it's gone. So many of the soldiers brought things with them to remember their life the way it was before the war. I am sure that I would be doing the same thing. I think that I liked this book so much because it was something new for me and I was forced to think about each story. With this book I was able to put myself in each situation and apply it to my own life. I found my self thinking about my family and how they would react and my friends and how they would react. This book draws you inside of it. It creates a wonderful picture in your head and allows you to participate in the event while you are reading it. It is a wonderful thinking book that paints a picture of war that I have never experienced before.

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Summary: The Death of Love and War
Review: The Things They Carried by Tim O' Brien, was a book not so much on the political aspects of the Vietnam War, but of the emotional consequences the soldiers had to face. Through this book, the reader was given an image of what it was like to fight and witness a mutliple number of deaths. The deaths of so many strangers, had a desensitizing affect on the men, which would cause them to have a great amount of problems coming back to the reality of American life. The book ended with a love story, that of the author. At first, this ending does not seem to fit with the rest of the novel, because there is so much fighting and bloody deaths. But, when it all comes down to it, the final chapter is just another experience of death. The author does so because not many people have experienced the trials of war, but many have experienced the loss of a loved one. I was able to understand a little bit of what the soldiers felt when Kiowa, Lemmon, and Lavender had been killed. I really enjoyed this book because of the understanding of the death that I gained. The stories of the men were so fascinating, especially after the war was over. The buffalo scene was very disturbing to me though, because of its innocence. But in a sense, it was similiar to the death of Linda- the innocent die.

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Summary: Psyche your mind
Review: This book was great. I felt like I was in the book and with the characters throughout the novel. However I didn't like the fact that many of the stories that were told were not true. At the beginning the main character says that the stories are true. This is a lie however because the main character says that the stories are untrue later on in the novel. The book shows the world in its natural state if you can call it that. The characters are depicted in a state of survival and survival only. This novel combines all of the feelings of humans, joy, fear, pain, guilt, and most of all remorse. This novel shows how the use of the story and the way it is told is more important than the facts of the story. This is the first book that I have read that encompases this meaning. That is what makes this book unique and confusing to understand.

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Summary: Blood, Sweat, and Tears, All shed in Vietnam
Review: "The Things They Carried" is a story about the struggles and hardships of the Vietnam War. If you liked the movie "Platoon" you will enjoy this book because it contains the same powerful war scenes and mental images that the movie does. Once you start reading it will be hard for you to put this book down. The book allows you to get into the minds of the soldiers and it gives you the feeling of what it's like to be there and what war is like. Fiction or reality, it doesn't matter, as you read you will understand more about what the Vietnam war was all about and what the young U.S. soldiers went through. "The Things They Carried" will move you and force you to have a greater respect for our Vietnam Vets. This war is a big part of our countries history and "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien is a tribute to all the brave men who lost their lives over seas. Read It!