The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien

Bibliographic information:

O’Brien, Tim.  The Things They Carried. New York Broadway Books/Random House, Inc.  1990 This edition published 1998.  ISBN: 0-7679-0289-0

Plot Summary:

The plot jumps around from the the time of the author's  Vietnam War experience until periods before the author goes to Vietnam and after he and his friends get back.  The book starts out by talking about the pieces of equipment and personal items that American soldiers in Vietnam carried with them while out on patrol.  The stories revolve around the men of one platoon, but it is often told through they eyes of the author.

Tim is a young man who gets drafted after college and tries to make it to Canada, but is too afraid to leave the country, reports for duty, and ends up in the jungles of Vietnam.  Those parts of the book that take place in Vietnam surround the stories of Tim and the other men of his platoon.  Friends die and enemies are killed having deep psychological impact upon the men in the unit. The plot also discusses what happened to those that made it back.  All the men are troubled by their experiences in war, and one of the veterans ends up committing suicide.  The book starts out with the things men carried and one gets a sense of the less tangible things that those who came home carried with them for the rest of their lives.   

Critical Evaluation:

This is a non-traditional book on war, which makes it stick in one’s memory.  It is not outright anti-war, but looks at war through a sometimes surreal lens and is in no way is a positive endorsement of war.  The plot jumps back and forth through time and that can be a bit confusing if one is not prepared for it.  The language is very clear, although the author uses some specific terms used by soldiers during the war, which can also be confusing as it is special vocabulary.  The description of battle scenes and death are often very descriptive and may not be suitable for any but adults and the oldest teens. The author does not try to decrease the realistic severity of description in any way.

Reader’s Annotation:

Tim goes through a number of moral dilemmas and finally decides to face his draft notice.  In Vietnam he makes many friends in his platoon; a few of these do not make it home.  Those who do make it home are changed for the rest of their lives.

Information about the author:

Tim O’Brien is from a small town in Minnesota.  He has written a few books about the Vietnam War.  O’Brien actually was in Vietnam as an infantry soldier 1969-70, as a member of a unit which took a high number of casualties.  Although he was drafted after he failed to get a graduate school deferment, he eventually went on to Harvard graduate school upon completion of his military service.

            O’ Brien’s works have been recognized for their excellence and ability to reach out to a wide number of readers.  Among the awards he has received are the National Book Award and the James Fenimore Cooper Award.  He teaches creative writing at Southwest Texas State University.  His work If I Die in a Combat Zone is also a critically acclaimed work. 

Genre:

Adult Fiction/Crossover/War

Curriculum Ties:

History

Booktalking Ideas:

1.  Discuss how many of the soldiers are depicted as boys and the level of responsibility they have.

2.  Talk about the effects of traumatic stress on lives.  This does not necessarily have to do only with war.

3.  Focus on the inner conflicts faced by the characters before, during, and after the war.

Reading Level/Interest Age:

16+

Challenge Issues:

Drugs/Violence/Coarse Language

Challenge Defense Ideas:

1.  Read the book.

2.  Be Familiar with the policy of the ALA and your institution.

3. Make a note of the contents of the work and how they fall in with the collection development policy of your institution and the standpoint of the ALA. 

4. Gain an awareness of the awards, reviews, and criticisms of the work, as well as other works by the same writer.

5. Know the process for materials challenges at your library.

Why did you include this book? :

I have had older teens request this book from the library in which I am a volunteer.  The title may be important to teens who are considering joining the military.  It is Adult Fiction, but could be of interest to older teen readers.
Official Author Website:
http://www.illyria.com/tobhp.html