The Things They CarriedThe Things They Carried
Score Modern
What it's about
Linked stories about a platoon of American soldiers in Vietnam and the men who came home: what they carried in their packs, the deaths of friends, the jokes and cruelty, and a young man named Tim O'Brien who almost fled to Canada rather than be drafted. O'Brien, who served in Vietnam, blurs his memories and invention on purpose, asking what a true war story is.
Why it's worth reading
It was a Pulitzer finalist and is one of the most widely taught books about war. It's honest and haunting, and it changed how war is written about.
You'll love it if you liked
Dispatches
Slaughterhouse-Five
The SympathizerGood to know
The narrator shares the author's name, but much of it is fiction. There's graphic death and the killing of an animal.
By the numbers
- Readers71 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics32 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller32 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #556 of the 1,573 modern books we rank
- #1067 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Epic
More by Tim O'Brien
If you like this, read next
Explore the best-of lists
All 36 best-of lists →
Quick answers
Is The Things They Carried worth reading?
Yes. It was a Pulitzer finalist and is one of the most widely taught books about war. It ranks #1,067 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 72.3 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is The Things They Carried about?
Linked stories about a platoon of American soldiers in Vietnam and the men who came home: what they carried in their packs, the deaths of friends, the jokes and cruelty, and a young man named Tim O'Brien who almost fled to Canada rather than be drafted. O'Brien, who served in Vietnam, blurs his memories and invention on purpose, asking what a true war story is.
How long does it take to read The Things They Carried?
About 6 hours (236 pages), or about 2 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after The Things They Carried?
If you liked it, try Dispatches by Michael Herr, Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. or The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen.