The Things They Carried is a must-read for anyone interested in the complexities of war and memory. Through his vivid storytelling, O'Brien takes readers deep into the experiences of soldiers and the personal tolls of war. The book challenges readers to consider the roles of memory, imagination, and storytelling in creating our understanding of conflict and its impact. Ultimately, The Things They Carried is a poignant exploration of the human condition, full of heartache, courage, and longing.

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• Pulitzer Prize Nominee for Fiction (1991)
• Chicago Tribune Heartland Prize for Fiction (1990)
• Prix du Meilleur Livre Étranger for Roman (1990)
• National Book Critics Circle Award Nominee for Fiction (1990)

A classic work of American literature that has not stopped changing minds and lives since it burst onto the literary scene, The Things They Carried is a ground-breaking meditation on war, memory, imagination, and the redemptive power of storytelling. The Things They Carried depicts the men of Alpha Company: Jimmy Cross, Henry Dobbins, Rat Kiley, Mitchell Sanders, Norman Bowker, Kiowa, and the character Tim O’Brien, who has survived his tour in Vietnam to become a father and writer at the age of forty-three. Taught everywhere—from high school classrooms to graduate seminars in creative writing—it has become required reading for any American and continues to challenge readers in their perceptions of fact and fiction, war and peace, courage and fear and longing. The Things They Carried won France's prestigious Prix du Meilleur Livre Etranger and the Chicago Tribune Heartland Prize; it was also a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award.

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