The Things They Carried

The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien is a compilation of short stories revolving around a platoon of soldiers during the Vietnam war. These short stories revolve around life before, after, and during the war; what these men carried, physically, mentally, emotionally, and invisibly.

This book was challenged and banned due to moments of profanity, which surprised me, because of how graphic parts of this book are. I am completely against censorship, but the reasoning to ban this novel seemed weird considering the other subject matter. I am not new to war stories or materials, but parts of this book did make me cringe. The raw truth that can only come from a soldier's mouth can sometimes be hard to take in. Being an avid lover of M*A*S*H and being the daughter of a history buff, I have had many a conversation and lesson of the personal experience of war, and every adaptation and different storyteller manages to teach something new. O'Brien did not fall short.

I loved these stories, I didn't always love the characters, but I think that O'Brien did a great job in bringing in his own voice and own renditions of the war to help the reader understand a little better what war is all about. This book reminds you that you can never understand, because even those in the trenches cannot fully understand it either.

I fully intend to read Tim O'Brien's other works, I appreciate his raw sincerity and ability to convey meaning in places that are usually foggy. I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone, especially those who are trying to understand society as a whole, or who are struggling with dealing with realities of life.