The Things They Carried

If you ever wanted to understand the hardship of war, told from the point of view of the soldiers who have to endure it, you might want to consider Tim O'Brien's approach: convey their experience by cataloging the actual things that the men carried in their pockets, their backpacks, their hands, necks, shoulders and heads.

Almost imperceptibly, the weight of war slowly shifts from the physical to the psychological and the emotional, and the weight of machine guns and other supplies begins to pale in comparison to the overwhelming burden of guilt, fear, memories and regret. In the process, and as you are about to listen, one of the greatest of American short stories emerges.

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