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Linked stories about a platoon in Vietnam and the weight each soldier carries
1990Steady paceMelancholic
What it is about
These connected stories follow a group of American soldiers in Vietnam, listing what each man carries in his pack and in his heart. The narrator, who shares the author’s name, keeps returning to events he cannot let go of. The line between fact and invention is deliberately blurred.
Who will enjoy it
Readers who like war literature and short story cycles.
What you will get
A short book that is often taught and often remembered. It is moving and cannot be skimmed.
The Things They Carried Facts: Pages, Genre and Setting
Genre
Literary Fiction · War · Memory · Storytelling
Length
246 pages · ≈ 7 h
More about this book
Characters
Lieutenant Jimmy Cross and the men of Alpha Company.
Setting
Vietnam, and later the United States.
What makes it different
It questions what makes a war story true.
Feel
Haunting, honest and moving.
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