Tim O’Brien was born in 1946 in a small town in Minnesota. At the age of 22, after graduating from college, he was drafted into the army. He went through hell on the front lines, and came back to describe the terror of what the Vietnam War was like.

Imagine the worst experience you’ve ever had -then writing about it. That’s what The Things They Carried is.

What was it like? It’s what people call a “traumatic” experience. You never forget it. The War affected Tim, his platoon, a whole generation, and the entire country. Tim and his platoon “carry” many things with them - physical things and emotional things. Tim in Vietnam

Some of the Physical Things : can openers Kool-Aid pocket knives maps lighters weapons & ammo canteens a radio salt tablets a mine detector food extra clothing razor blades stationery

Some of the Emotional Things: memories of home fear ghosts “a silent awe of the terrible power” of their weapons dreams grief their reputations shameful memories “They carried the common secret of cowardice barely restrained.” “They carried the soldier’s greatest fear, which was the fear of blushing.”

Things That Might Surprise You: drugs (marijuana) a slingshot the thumb of an enemy soldier condoms “...the land itself-Vietnam, the place, the soil. They carried the sky…. They carried gravity.”

What Are You Carrying? You haven’t been to war, but everyone has been through at least one traumatic experience. Some have gone through several. Degrees will vary. But each of us carries things. Things that are physical, and things that are emotional. What’s the heaviest thing you’re carrying now?

That’s one reason why... This book has become so popular, especially with “Gen X’ers” and teenagers. It’s not just about Vietnam. It’s more than that. It certainly is about Vietnam. In fact, this is one of the best books you’ll ever read about the War. But, it’s also about life. It’s about going through hard times. It’s about surviving to tell the story. And O’Brien tells a heck of a story.

Stories, that’s what it’s about... Ever tell a good one? It’s a magical thing. They entertain - but do so much more. In a way that’s almost indescribable, when someone expresses something you’ve felt, it’s a freeing experience. You know you’re not alone. When someone can put something into words that you can’t or haven’t yet, it’s powerful.

And O’Brien’s stories are unique They are real. They don’t hold back. The characters act like real people in wartime - they curse, they laugh, they express themselves as you’d imagine men to. They are highly descriptive. You see Vietnam, hear it, smell it. They are mysterious. They explain human situations creatively, and…

They are real… Or are they?