First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross carried letters from a girl named Martha, a junior at Mount Sebastian College in New Jersey.
This novel is intense, deep, disturbing, beautiful, and should be required reading for all high school graduates in the United States. The story, told from O'Brien's viewpoint, follows Alpha Company through the depths of Vietnam.
The things they carried were largely determined by necessity.
The story unfolds in a series of short stories, each one building on the next. The platoon members were between 19 - 21 years, led by a 24-year old Lieutenant. None of these boys wanted to go to Vietnam, and each one of them has forever changed.
What they carried varied by mission.
Meet Lieutenant Jimmy Cross, Ted Lavendar, Henry Dobbins, Kiowa, Rat Kiley, Mitchell Sanders, Norman Bowker, Curt Lemon, Azar, Mark Fossie & Mary Anne Bell.
The things they carried were determined to some extent by superstition.
More than 20 years has passed since the war ended, and Tim O'Brien can't stop writing about it. And honestly, he shouldn't.
For the most part they carried themselves with poise, a kind of dignity.
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Rating: 10 out of 10 stars
*Serious language, war and graphic scenes
