Description

The million copy bestseller that redefined the way the world saw war.

One of the ten books – novels, memoirs and one very unusual biography – that make up our Matchbook Classics’ series, a stunningly redesigned collection of some of the best loved titles on our backlist.

The Things They Carried is the definitive account of what it was like being on the ground in Vietnam. But while that devastating conflict is central to the book, it is not simply about war. It is a book about memory, imagination, and the redemptive power of storytelling. It is also about the human heart – about the terrible weight of those things we carry through our lives.

The men of Alpha Company – Jimmy Cross, Norman Bowker, Rat Kiley, Mitchell Sanders, Henry Dobbins and Kiowa – slog through the emptiness and dangers of their Vietnam tour in this haunting and acclaimed collection, which has the cumulative power and unity of a novel.

Publisher Review

'One of the best war books of this century, an unflinching attempt to illuminate both its obscene physical brutality and the terrible mental overload' Guardian 'A thrilling and beautiful distillation of everything that has been thought, felt, or said about the Vietnam War and its long afterburn. A heartbreaking and healing masterpiece; time will make it a classic' Michael Herr, author of Dispatches 'Essential ... O'Brien captures the war's pulsating rhythms and nerve-racking dangers ... a stunning performance. The overall effect of these original tales is devastating' New York Times