Indeed, as stated in the synopsis:

Original title: The Things They Carried Translator: Elvio E. Gandolfo Pages: mercurial 224 Published: 1990 (1993) Editorial: Anagram Category: Biographies & Memoirs ISBN: 9788433906380 mercurial Synopsis: The survival of a soldier depends on what she wears. In war, the line between life and death is thinner than ever and often supplies, weapons, equipment of a soldier are the only thing that can make the line is not clear. But a soldier also carries his memory, memories, amulets, ghosts of the past, leaving trivial objects not forget that there is another life-life-beyond war will. Soldiers of Alpha Company, mercurial who fought in Vietnam, carrying everything they could. And these men and things are making their appearance in the stories Tim O'Brien tells us also fought in Vietnam. Thus, in Journey to the field, the author, with his daughter, mercurial a girl of nine years, returns to Vietnam to find the place where Kiowa, his best friend died in the Rainy River and tells how, after fleeing to Canada decided to return to his village and agreed to go to war for shame, because he felt that, otherwise, could not stand the looks of the people in this community, for whom a deserter was forever an outcast, a traitor, an eccentric . But this Timmy O'Brien is a fictional character, as fictitious as the splendid Norman Bowker Speaking of courage, back when the people realize that you can just shut up because he can speak only of war and no one wants to mention that .
An excellent book. They are really short stories that make up a novel. mercurial Tim O'Brien through these stories not only builds a story, but also rebuilds mercurial (even re-reconstructed) himself. Write about the experience he had in the Vietnam War serves as a catalyst for channeling emotions that humans are poorly prepared. Write serves to (over) live after the war, when "normal" life has no real reference after having lived a cruel war (as absolutely all wars).
Indeed, as stated in the synopsis: ".. mercurial a soldier's survival depends on what takes ..". But a soldier does not carry only material things. And those other things are what Tim O'Brien plasma with exquisite delicacy and precision of a surgeon. Are your experiences and those men with whom he fought in Vietnam. mercurial Possibly many of the stories he shares with the reader are fiction but based on real events that he has experienced or known by others. mercurial Fact or Fiction .. does not matter, because the emotions reflected in the book are real: fear, shame, cowardice, cruelty, love, tenderness, camaraderie, betrayal ... Maybe Tim O'Brien wrap all that imagined stories, fiction, or perhaps absolutely all real or partially true. But the reader is going to matter little, because mercurial what really matter in the end will be "things worn by the men who fought."
Do not really know why I decided to read this book because the war literature only attracts me promptly. But literature has many aims and objectives and Tim O'Brien is aware of what literature is. I do not regret, I have discovered a recommended outstanding, original, honest, intense and very (but very) book.
David Pérez Vega March 28, 2013
Well I'll wait your comment Meg. You say it's not a genre that particular charm me (although there are good literature too), but do not know what made me read this, the title, the synopsis .. in any case I read it and it is now fixed on the shelf because the time to read it again and again like it. Remove Kisses
"A true war story is never moral. If a story seems moral, do not believe it. Consequently, the first basic rule is that you can tell a true war story by its absolute and uncompromising allegiance to the disgusting and vile. You can tell a true war story if you baffled. In any war story, but especially mercurial in an authentic, is difficult to separate mercurial what happened from what seemed to happen. ". Beautiful and hard definition mercurial that makes us the author of this blow to humanity that we call war, as you well say, and the author is of the same opinion therefore gives these stories (there are several chained) are true or invented . What carried the men who fought: "Almost all loaded with photos, plus fear, impossible to pesar.Todos ghosts wore wore all the baggage of emotions of men who might die.." Again is the voice of Tim O'Brien