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Things They Carried
Things They Carried | Tim O'Brien
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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Eggs
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“They carried all they could bear, and then some, including a silent awe for the terrible power of the things they carried.”

#DaysDevotedTo

#Veterans 😔💔

@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

dabbe 🧡🍁🤎 1mo
62 likes1 comment
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Meshell1313
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Pickpick

My #TBRtarot pick this month was beautiful and heart wrenching at the same time. The author tells the story of Vietnam and the things all soldiers carry both physically and emotionally. Im so glad I finally read this classic. I will be thinking about this one for a long time. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

CBee 😊😊😊 4mo
kspenmoll Such a great book- Tim O‘Brien was interviewed by Ali Veshi as it is a banned book- we teach with it in my HS https://youtu.be/iXbwUFNh8pU?si=8_3Wo0xnOXwciwWY 4mo
Meshell1313 @kspenmoll oh wow! Thanks for this link! And banned?!?!?! I would have never guessed this would be on the list- how can you ban actual history? My goodness. Terrible and terrifying. 4mo
Meshell1313 @kspenmoll ok just watched it. Wow. What a great interview and soo recent! Made me love him even more and makes me want to take more action to stop book banning!!! Thank you for sharing! 4mo
50 likes4 comments
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Liz_M
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The Things They Curried

“They curried malaria tablets, love letters, 28-pound mine detectors, dope, illustrated Bibles...“

@SlateGreySkies

TheBookHippie 🏆 6mo
slategreyskies Oh, now I want curry for dinner! Love this! 🤣 6mo
19 likes2 comments
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dabbe
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Eggs Great book 💔 10mo
dabbe 💚💙💚 10mo
56 likes1 stack add2 comments
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SaraHasClass
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Pickpick

Raw. Brutal. Sad. Highly emotionally charged account of serving in Vietnam. A love story of boys becoming men. A bitter love story and one that can't be forgotten. This is a must read non-fiction. This is a story of love.

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ChelseaM6010
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#HumbleHarvest
Day 11. Veterans
#Veterans

Eggs My choice too ❤️ 13mo
12 likes1 comment
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Eggs
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“They carried all they could bear, and then some, including a silent awe for the terrible power of the things they carried.”
This war tore our country apart; it was never clear to these young soldiers why they were in Vietnam. My classmates, cousins, and friends were affected and some died. Besides industry, war is good for no one💔This book is so beautiful and heartbreaking❤️‍🩹

#Veterans #HumbleHarvest

@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks 💔🇺🇸💔 13mo
Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks ❤️😞💙 13mo
59 likes2 comments
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AshleyHoss820
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Pickpick

There is so much I could say, but it will fall flat. This is a moving novel about the Vietnam war, but it‘s so much more than that. It‘s so deeply human. The things we do and why we do them, even if it doesn‘t really make sense. This is a must-read. 230/1,001 #1001Books

BarbaraBB I read and enjoyed this one too but my favorite is 1y
AshleyHoss820 @BarbaraBB Oo! I‘m stacking that! Thank you! I picked up this book in a Little Free Library! ☺️ I think I‘ll enjoy O‘Brien‘s work. 1y
BarbaraBB That one sounds great too! 1y
31 likes3 comments
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Tkimsal
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I was tagged a few weeks ago in a post to participate in 30 Book Recommendations in 30 Days and I‘m finally getting around to it. I‘m not tagging any individuals, but interested parties are invited to post their own recommendations.

My selection for Day 1 is Tim O‘Brien‘s “The Things They Carried.”

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Ruthiella
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Pickpick

Third book down for the #14Books14Weeks2023 challenge and 1st finished for the #JoysofJune readathon. Linked stories based on the author‘s own time as a US soldier in the Vietnam War. Some stories were stronger than others. All pretty heavy, however. His description of the eeriness of the landscape made me think of the awesome, creepy novel Build Your House Around My Body by Violet Kupersmith.

Andrew65 Excellent 👏👏👏 2y
Suet624 I‘m really glad to see folks are still reading this book. It‘s an important one. 2y
75 likes3 comments
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dabbe
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#MayMontage
#ArmedForces
@Eggs
@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

A heartfelt thank you to all who have served to keep our country safe. ❤️🇺🇸💙

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks ❤️🇺🇸💙 2y
Eggs 🙌🏻🇺🇸💙 2y
Bklover ❤️🤍💙🇺🇸 2y
62 likes3 comments
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Leftcoastzen
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In the 2nd day of the sale, things are half price! Imagine my surprise seeing a first edition hardback in dust jacket of one the most highly regarded fiction works related to the Vietnam war .👀Very nice condition $1.50

Liz_M 😍😍😍 2y
PaperbackPirate It was my first time back since 2019. I had so much fun and accidentally came home with 28 books for $53! 2y
LeahBergen Nice find! 👏 2y
Leftcoastzen @PaperbackPirate You show a high level of restraint! 😁If Littens could see the spectacle of people buying cartloads!📚📚📚📚📚📚📚 2y
PaperbackPirate You‘re so right! I should have taken a picture of some of those cartloads. 😍 2y
62 likes1 stack add5 comments
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Eggs
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#VeteransDay #November Narrative @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

One of the best books about the Vietnam war💔

LKK526 Agreed!!! 2y
70 likes1 stack add1 comment
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JoeMo
Things They Carried | Tim O'Brien
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I swear, I don‘t just read novels about war, it just so happens a number of the best novels I‘ve ever read have been about war. This book is included in that category! The interesting thing about this book is that it‘s a series of short stories or essays about a platoon in the Vietnam War instead of being one long story.

#alphabetgame. #lettert
@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Daisey Such a great book! 2y
SqueakyChu Oh, I loved this book! Even more, I was so impressed with the author when I had the chance to hear him speak at a past National Book Festival. Read everything of his you can get your hands on. 2y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Thank you for playing 📚 2y
36 likes1 stack add3 comments
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charl08
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'You can't do that.'
'Do what?'
'Jesus Christ, it's against the rules,' Sanders said. 'Against human nature. This elaborate story, you can't say, Hey, by the way, I don't know the ending, I mean, you got certain obligations.'

Liz_M One of my favorite novels 🥰 2y
charl08 @Liz_M I was wondering what to call it, unusual structure. 2y
58 likes1 stack add2 comments
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SoapboxEdits
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Pickpick

The first section of this book was a little difficult to get through, it felt like it dragged a bit. I‘m glad I stuck it out, though because I ended up loving the cadence and pace of the other sections. This is probably the best recollection of the Vietnam conflict I‘ve read. O‘Brien dives deep into the internal and what drove the soldiers. He put it in ways that someone who has never experienced combat can skirt the edges of understanding.

15 likes1 stack add
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melissajayne
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My list of #roll100 page 1

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melissajayne
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My list of #roll100

PuddleJumper Looking great! Good luck! 3y
15 likes1 comment
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Cortg
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Pickpick

Vietnam war. This book, though labeled a work of fiction, is also very real. Not so much one long story, but shorter, essay style stories about members of a platoon. It‘s about experiences and the aftermath of war, death and the haunting that never leaves the souls of those that make it home alive.

lynneamch I finally read this last year when it was required reading for my 16-yr-old granddaughter. Made for a good discussion. 3y
Cortg @lynneamch Nice! I read it for book club and I‘m looking forward to the discussion. My daughter read it last year for AP Lit and we chatted about it quite a bit as I made my way through the stories. The book was very well done! 3y
45 likes2 comments
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Daisey
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Pickpick

This #quote pretty much sums up the book for me. It packs a punch in the way it describes the personal experiences of soldier during the #Vietnam War and after they returned home. Of course I felt some of the stories were better than others, but all were interconnected in a way that made me appreciate each. The book also emphasizes the importance of storytelling in a way that resonated with me.

#1001books #Reading1001 #TBRTakedown June 2021

Daisey In case the quote is difficult to read: “War is hell, but that‘s not the half of it, because war is also mystery and terror and adventure and courage and discovery and holiness and pity and despair and longing and love. War is nasty; war is fun. War is thrilling; war is drudgery. War makes you a man; war makes you dead.” 3y
charl08 Fascinating book, interesting to compare it to a book of poetry by another veteran I read recently. 2y
Daisey @charl08 It was a truly fascinating book. Any chance you could tag the other book you mentioned? 2y
charl08 Yes of course. This is why I use Librarything. Otherwise I'd never have found it again! 2y
Daisey @charl08 Thank you! 2y
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Daisey
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This book is continuing to be a great read, and I think I‘m appreciating the stories more by reading just a few at a time. I‘m not usually one who marks quotes, but there are a few tabs in this one.

Also, most of my photos may just continue to be hammock reading. There‘s not much better on a summer evening.

Tamra 😊 3y
britt_brooke Love the book and photo - perfect! 3y
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rubyslippersreads Your kitties look so content. 😻 3y
wanderinglynn Those are some happy kitties! ❤️🐱❤️🐱 3y
Catsandbooks That looks so peaceful! 🐈 3y
Scochrane26 😻😻 3y
JazzFeathers It's been on my TBR for quite some time. I think l should finally give it a go 😜 Also, l didn't know you have two kitties 😻 l only knew about Gandalf. 3y
Daisey @Tamra @BookishMarginalia @britt_brooke @rubyslippersreads @wanderinglynn @Catsandbooks @Scochrane26 Thanks all! They were both very cozy and content, and I hated to disturb them when it was time to go in. 3y
Daisey @JazzFeathers The book is well worth the read. It‘s an interesting style, but I think it really gets across the personal experience of the soldiers. I do only have Gandalf and Eleanor the beagle. I‘m currently staying with my sister‘s family and the orange cat is theirs. Gandalf usually gets along with this one and not so much with their other cat. 3y
SamAnne Oh, I should schedule a reread. 3y
86 likes11 comments
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Daisey
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I‘ve only read two stories/essays so far, but the first one struck me as a very clear and expressive way to describe the soldiers‘ experience in #Vietnam. This #quote specifically caught my attention.

“It was not courage, exactly; the object was not valor. Rather, they were too frightened to be cowards.”

I‘ve seen amazing reviews of this book and am really looking forward to finally reading it.

#1001books #Reading1001 #TBRTakedown June 2021

Kimberlone This is one of my favorite books of all time! There are some many amazing stories in this collection. The title story and “How to Write a War Story” are probably my favorites. 4y
Daisey @Kimberlone I'd have to say that first title story is going to be hard to beat. 3y
42 likes2 comments
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TheRiehlDeal
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Mehso-so

Tim O‘Brien writes about his experience serving in the Vietnam War along with his fellow soldiers. They often say that war changes you when you return from duty and that certainly applies to Tim and his buddies.

I read parts of this book in English class in my senior year of high school. I really enjoyed what I read, but clearly my teacher picked the best chapters from the book. Some I liked and others I didn‘t care for. 👇🏻

TheRiehlDeal The title chapter, Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong, Night Life, and The Lives of the Dead are all chapters I liked. In the Field, Field Trip, and The Ghost Soldiers were chapters I either skimmed or had no idea what was happening and just kept reading to get the chapter over with. The others were nice fillers.

⭐️⭐️⭐️
4y
23 likes1 comment
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bookishbitch
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I can tell this one will be a tough read for me. #tbrpile

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CoffeeNBooks
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Afternoon #coffeeandabook ☕📚

j9brown 👍👍👍 Everything in this picture 😆 4y
Crazeedi Perfect!!💗 4y
Pageturner1 oooh! Twinkie flavored coffee!! 😄 got to try! 4y
82 likes3 comments
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Eggs
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The tagged book is a ground-breaking meditation on war, memory, imagination, and the redemptive power of storytelling. It illustrates the experiences of the soldiers in Alpha Company in Vietnam.

#veteransday #thankfulthoughts @Eggs
#soldier #quotsynov20 @TK-421

Kimberlone One of my favorite books of all time. 4y
Eggs @Kimberlone Yes!!! 4y
68 likes2 stack adds2 comments
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Texreader
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Sace I feel guilty that I've never read this. I gotta fix that. (Also, resubscribe to LitHub newsletter.) 4y
sprainedbrain Oh wow... what a cast! 4y
Scochrane26 I haven‘t read it either but have been told by friends that I should. 4y
Kimberlone I really hope this is good; the cast is a good sign. I wish they had opted for a miniseries format, though. 4y
55 likes4 comments
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Danielthewriter
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“A thing may happen and be a total lie; another thing may not happen and be truer than the truth.”

“War is hell, but that's not the half of it, because war is also mystery and terror and adventure and courage and discovery and holiness and pity and despair and longing and love. War is nasty; war is fun. War is thrilling; war is drudgery. War makes you a man; war makes you dead.”

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Vansa
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#3books #BannedbooksIhaventread
I haven't read any of these , I would love to! I tried Beloved and really couldn't get into it- magical realism is not a genre I enjoy.

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Liz_M
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OriginalCyn620 Nice pic! 4y
SilversReviews Love the black and white photo. 4y
Liz_M @OriginalCyn620 apparently the best true stories are war stories 😬😀 4y
See All 11 Comments
Liz_M @SilversReviews Thanks! 😊 4y
BarbaraBB I have Empire of the Sun on my shelves. Is it good? 4y
Liz_M @BarbaraBB It is good and disturbing, similar in the tone of disturbing-ness of The Wasp Factory. 4y
BarbaraBB Oh wow I loved that one. I mostly enjoy Ballard too but I am not really interested in an autobiographical story. 4y
Liz_M @BarbaraBB I am not sure what you think of as autobiographical. This is probably as autobiographical as David Copperfield. 🤷 4y
BarbaraBB Oh really? I am pretty wrong then. I have no idea where I got that thought. 4y
Liz_M @BarbaraBB It _is_ based on his childhood experienced, but I didn't know that beforehand and it read like a novel to me, not a memoir. And then learning about Ballard's childhood, somehow his other weirder novels made more sense. 😁😂 4y
BarbaraBB Okay now I‘m intrigued! 4y
20 likes11 comments
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Grrlbrarian
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And just like that: #BookBingo! I enjoyed the chance to chip away at #MountTBR a bit. Great #BookSpin and #DoubleSpin too. Time to see if I can finish another row 👌

Soubhiville Nice! Great job! 4y
TheAromaofBooks Yay!! Great work!!! 4y
36 likes2 comments
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Danielthewriter
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Pickpick

A quintessential novel aboit the Vietnam War, The Things They Carried is a poetic and hypnotic series of interconnected stories that paints a vivid portrayal of what it was like not just to serve as a soldier during this time period, but it was like for these men before and after.

10/10 Masterpiece

Erinsuereads Love love love that book so much 5y
kspenmoll Fabulous book; I am glad we still use it in English at the HS. 5y
Danielthewriter @kspenmoll There's definitely a lot this book can teach people. 5y
12 likes4 comments
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HannaPolkadots
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Pickpick

I LOVED the writing style of this book, so beautiful and elegant, repetition used really well. Storywise though I felt it could have been shorter, it is very interesting and important to learn history and the experiences of soldiers and so on, but after a time I felt like I was reading the same thing over and over again. Which is probably what war felt like, but still.

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free.owlet
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"but the emotion wasn't there and he couldn't make it happen."

5 likes1 stack add
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Readerann
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Pickpick

Oh my, this is good. In addition to loving the book, I‘m loving sitting outside in gorgeous weather. #readathon #deweys #1001books

LauraBrook I‘ve heard nothing but great things about this book. And I‘m envious it‘s nice enough for you to read outside! 5y
19 likes1 comment
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melissajayne
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Pickpick

4⭐️ I don‘t normally like #shortstories, but I quite enjoyed this collection. I like how the stories were connected and the writing style of the author (only became aware of him through the Ken Burns Vietnam documentary). I found them to be fairly quick to get through (maybe need to reread the book at some point). Really thought it was nonfiction at one point #fiction #vietnamwar #bookreview #bookstagram #2020

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Beatlefan129
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Day 5

We present here 7 books that will remain in our minds because they touched us so much, changed us. No further comments!
#7books7days

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Kimberlone
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Pickpick

I‘ve read this book before, but this was the first time listening to the audiobook. This is one of my favorite books of all time, and it‘s a powerful evocation of the effect of war on men and the power of storytelling. Bryan Cranston‘s narration was perfect. That said, I did find myself not enjoying some of the stories as much as I have in the past.

Goodreads: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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OwenB
Pickpick

Excellent read from Tim O'Brien. Found out about author after he was interviewed in the Ken Burns Vietnam documentary series. For those of us who were too young to remember, the book provides a picture of the war that's hard to forget.

3 likes1 stack add
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cherinium
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Pickpick

This is an interesting rumination of war experiences from Vietnam. O'Brien blends the line between fact and fiction and asserts that this makes the stories more true than if he had just delivered the facts. The #audiobook is narrated by Bryan Cranston and is excellently done.

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Eggs
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#warishell

#februaryfeels

IMO, this is one of the top books about the ill-fated Vietnam war — about life, about men who fought and died, about buddies, and about a lost innocence that is recaptured through the memory of stories. Powerful.

Sleepswithbooks Such an amazing book. 5y
Eggs @Stacypatrice ❤️😥😥❤️ 5y
Nute This is one of my favorite books! I was actually surprised by how much I liked it and how connected I felt to the stories. War stories are usually touching and heartfelt, but I had no idea that it would be such an amazing read. 5y
Eggs @Nute Agreed 👏🏻💔 5y
77 likes2 stack adds4 comments
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Outofcontroltbr
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Pickpick

This was a good book. I like the play on words of the title. It was emotional at times but very well written. Could hardly put this story down.

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sprainedbrain
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Pickpick

I don‘t think there is any praise I can give that hasn‘t already been heaped on this book. Excellently written, powerfully evocative semi-autobiographical essays/stories about young men in the Vietnam war. Heartbreaking and honest and so very good.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#1001books

This was also my #SoldiersStory for #Booked2019 🙌🏻

Cinfhen It really is an amazing book. Your review is perfect 👌🏾 5y
BarbaraTheBibliophage This one is such a gut punch. 👊🏻📚♥️ 5y
95 likes2 stack adds2 comments
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Kimberlone
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Listening to this today in honor of Veteran‘s Day. This is not only one of my favorite war books, but also one of my all time favorite books. I love the interconnected -ness of the stories and the meta-commentary on the purpose and act of telling stories, especially war stories. O‘Brien plays with truth and fiction throughout. The title story is a masterpiece in the short story genre.

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youneverarrived
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Pickpick

A vivid read that really takes you to Vietnam and inside the characters minds. It‘s written in small, to the point sentences which when done right (like this) I love. O‘Brien plays with memory & fiction & what‘s real & what isn‘t but it worked so perfectly in putting across the point that you just can‘t know what war is truly like etc. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ #soldiersstory #booked2019

Cinfhen This was such a powerful book. I read it years ago and haven‘t forgotten it 5y
merelybookish Great review! Ditto @cinfhen ☝️ The title story in particular has stayed with me. 5y
Liz_M This is one of my all-time favorite books. It was also my first introduction to meta-fiction. 5y
See All 14 Comments
BookNAround To prove just how old I am, O‘Brien was the writer in residence at my college right after this came out so I got to be in a writing fiction class that he visited for a week or so. 5y
kspenmoll This book has defined Vietnam for so many over the years. Agree with you all; it stays with you. 5y
BarbaraTheBibliophage Such a good book! 👊🏻♥️📚 5y
youneverarrived @Cinfhen @merelybookish I can see it being one I won‘t forget either 🖤 5y
youneverarrived @Liz_M usually I‘m not a big fan of that but it worked so well here. 5y
youneverarrived @BookNAround ohh that‘s really cool! What college was it? 5y
youneverarrived @kspenmoll @BarbaraTheBibliophage it‘s brilliant 🖤 (edited) 5y
BookNAround @youneverarrived The College of Wooster, a small liberal arts college in Ohio. 5y
IamIamIam I've honestly never read this! *hangs head* I'm not sure how we skipped it in school because I know I had friends who read it. On #mountTBR it goes! 😁 5y
youneverarrived @IamIamIam you‘ll have to let me know what you think when you get to it ♥️ 5y
57 likes2 stack adds14 comments
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youneverarrived
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Going to finish The Things They Carried as I‘m at 87% then find a new book to start as well as reading This Must Be the Place. Just shy of 3 hours for yesterday and today but plan on reading for a lot of the evening now 😁 #MrBook1inaMillion #24B4Monday #LitsyPartyofOne

CaitlinR If you haven‘t read O‘Brien‘s IN THE LAKE OF THE WOODS read it next; a great novel. 5y
Andrew65 Good start to the Readathon. 👏👏👏 5y
Kimberlone This is one of my favorite books of all time 5y
See All 9 Comments
youneverarrived @CaitlinR I‘ll add it to the tbr 👍 5y
youneverarrived @Andrew65 thanks 😁 5y
youneverarrived @Kimberlone I‘ve finished it and I can see why. 5 stars from me. 5y
BarbaraBB Echoing @CaitlinR , I loved that one too. And the Maggie O‘Farrell as well 💕 5y
youneverarrived @BarbaraBB oh that‘s good to know. I will read it at some point as I really liked his writing. 5y
MrBook 😁👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻🔥🔥🔥 5y
61 likes9 comments
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youneverarrived
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I‘m going to join in the readathon weekend as and when I can 💕 total so far today reading the tagged book and listening to The Dutch House. Going to read for a bit more before going to sleep 💤

#MrBook1inaMillion #24B4Monday #LitsyPartyofOne @MrBook @Andrew65 @TheReadingMermaid @Lynnsoprano @Alisnazzy @Rachel.Rencher @Lucas.Rencher @jb72

Andrew65 Going well 👏👏👏 5y
Rachel.Rencher How was The Dutch House so far? I want to pick that one up soon! 5y
MrBook I‘m just glad someone as fantastic as you is joining in the fun! Thank you!!! ☺️🤗 5y
See All 6 Comments
youneverarrived @Rachel.Rencher really good! I‘d recommend it 👍 5y
youneverarrived @MrBook aww thanks 🥰🥰 5y
54 likes6 comments
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ChrisBohjalian
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“That's what fiction is for. It's for getting at the truth when the truth isn't sufficient for the truth.” ― Tim O'Brien, born on this date. One of the greats. #TheThingsTheyCarried