Book Fifteen of the Book-a-Week Quest
The Things They Carried
by Tim O'Brien (1990)
This book was recommended to me by someone at work. Although we tend to agree on a lot of things, any time this guy has raved about something, I've always been a little let down (see Slumdog Millionaire as an example). Towards the beginning of my Book-a-Week Quest, he told me about this book, and I held off reading it for months because I was certain that his opinion was going to make me like it less.
However, since I picked up the book two days ago, I never really wanted to put it down. Although a work of fiction, author O'Brien narrates the short stories about the harrowing hardships faced by an American platoon in Veitnam. Since O'Brien is a Vietnam war vet himself, you read this and imagine that it's all true...and I'm certain that many of the tales do contain bits and pieces of truth (or maybe it's all full-blown truth). And this sense of "what is true" and "what is a made-up story" is echoed throughout the book. O'Brien forces the reader to question the tales of Vietnam that you've heard, but realize that even if the stories aren't totally true, they are true to the veterans that are telling the tales...and that's all that matters. We, as a country, need to let them believe their truth.
There's an effortless, simple writing style present here that makes the book extremely accessible. Through much repetition, O'Brien absolutely gets his "points" across and in the hands of a less skillful writer, you would feel like you were being hit over the head with the same thoughts. O'Brien crafts his story in such a way that the repetition carries such emotional weight and substance.
In a lot of war movies, the members of the platoon are simply there -- they may play a certain stereotypical "role" -- "the gung-ho war-is-kick-ass one", "the wise beyond his years lieutenant," "the funny jokester," "the religious guy." While these "characters" may be present in O'Brien's work, they actually have depth and substance. They aren't just token faces -- they have names -- Rat Kiley, Jimmy Cross, Azar, Kiowa. They are people, not just symbols.
I honestly can't say enough about this book. I absolutely plan on reading this one again. Absolutely one of the best books I've ever read.
However, since I picked up the book two days ago, I never really wanted to put it down. Although a work of fiction, author O'Brien narrates the short stories about the harrowing hardships faced by an American platoon in Veitnam. Since O'Brien is a Vietnam war vet himself, you read this and imagine that it's all true...and I'm certain that many of the tales do contain bits and pieces of truth (or maybe it's all full-blown truth). And this sense of "what is true" and "what is a made-up story" is echoed throughout the book. O'Brien forces the reader to question the tales of Vietnam that you've heard, but realize that even if the stories aren't totally true, they are true to the veterans that are telling the tales...and that's all that matters. We, as a country, need to let them believe their truth.
There's an effortless, simple writing style present here that makes the book extremely accessible. Through much repetition, O'Brien absolutely gets his "points" across and in the hands of a less skillful writer, you would feel like you were being hit over the head with the same thoughts. O'Brien crafts his story in such a way that the repetition carries such emotional weight and substance.
In a lot of war movies, the members of the platoon are simply there -- they may play a certain stereotypical "role" -- "the gung-ho war-is-kick-ass one", "the wise beyond his years lieutenant," "the funny jokester," "the religious guy." While these "characters" may be present in O'Brien's work, they actually have depth and substance. They aren't just token faces -- they have names -- Rat Kiley, Jimmy Cross, Azar, Kiowa. They are people, not just symbols.
I honestly can't say enough about this book. I absolutely plan on reading this one again. Absolutely one of the best books I've ever read.
:-D
ReplyDeleteTold ya.
How about that last chapter?
Probably my favorite chapter ever.
And since I'm watching it now, i'll bring it up. This may be my favorite episode of lost, simply because Hurley and Miles were mocking people on message boards.
Yeah, Justin...I wasn't expecting to like it so much...
ReplyDeleteWhile we tend to agree on things, whenever you're passionate about a movie, it always tends to dull it whenever I see it. So I wasn't sure what to think...
But the first chapter hooked me right away. The chapter about Kiowa saddened me, too.
But you're right...that last chapter. The way he connects home life with Vietnam life...yeah...that last chapter ends it on such a stellar note.
And...I'm not watching Lost now. Recording it...will be watching it later on this evening...