This collection ofshort stories is a fictionalized account of the narrator, a soldier, andhis platoon during the Vietnam War. The stories seem so real it's hardto believe they are fiction.

The stories range from romantic -with the tale of a man and the girl he adores halfway around the worldin "Love" - to gory, including how the narrator kills a man in"Ambush." There are also many amusing stories; one tells abouttwo soldiers who start out as enemies but become best friends."Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong" is scary enough to groupwith short stories by Edgar Allen Poe.

The Things They Carriedgives insight into the horror of the Vietnam conflict. O'Brien writeswith emotion he kept bottled up after his own experiences in battle. Hetells the stories in a voice only he can use, and some could keep areader up all night thinking and feeling horrified.

The book is afavorite of many and may someday be considered a classic.