The Things They Carried, O'Brien - B+

      "The things they carried were largely determined by necessity. Among the necessities or near necessities were P-38 can openers, pocket knives, heat tabs, wristwatches, dog tags, mosquito repellent, chewing gum, cigarettes, salt tablets, Kool -Aid, lighter, matches, sewing kits, Military Payment Certificates, C Rations and two or three canteens of water." 

     They carried thousands of things into what "was not battle, it was just an endless march, village to village, without purpose, nothing won or lost." No one in the author's platoon, the lieutenant who led them, or of his buddies, thought there was any reason for them to be there. The did not fight for a cause. They fought to survive.

       O'Brien was drafted in the summer of 1968 after graduating from college summa cum laude. He was so distraught that he drove north from St. Paul and spent six days on the Minnesota-Canada border just thinking about crossing. But he could not leave his hometown, his country, or his life. He concluded "he would kill or maybe die-because he was embarrassed not to." His depiction of being young, uninformed, and petrified while contemplating going to Canada is brilliant.

      As this is a novel with related short stories but no straight line narrative, it is difficult to write about. It is about many things, things that I, and most of us, have not experienced. He weaves tales of comradeship, fellowship, the brotherhood of those who have fought together. Death is pervasive, and the deaths of those left behind are ever present and in the front of the consciousness of the survivors. This is a haunting brilliant book. Thanks to my daughter Lauren for the recommendation.