The Things They Carried was a collection of short stories about the Vietnam War. The stories were all related, most told from the perspective of Tim O'Brien. Most of the stories were short, and all told stories of the Vietnam was from a solider's perspective. "The Things They Carried" talked about the things each of the soldiers carried during the way. "The Man I Killed" talks about the man O'Brien killed with a grenade. My favorite of the short stories, "On the Rainy River" talks about receiving the draft notice to fight in the war, and the difficult decision on whether to fight the war, or dodge the draft.
All of the stories talk about the experience of Vietnam, and what it is like to serve in a war, even in a war that you don't necessarily believe worth fighting. I'm not a huge fan of war stories, but enjoy books when they are well written, and have interesting characters. This book was thought provoking, and met that criteria. I've never served in a war, and never will, but respect our soldiers and the sacrifices they make. I'd consider myself anti-war, unless absolutely necessary. I read this book right after reading Slaughterhouse Five, and thought one was good, and one was great. The Things They Carried is definitely worth reading though, and it was a pretty short book to get through.
My rating: 3 1/2 stars
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