The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien

Title: The Things They Carried
Author: Tim O'Brien
Pages: 246

I have been wanting to read this book for a while after a family friend and I got to talking about it. I have always found it interesting what soldiers carry with them. Things that they are required to have, but what other little things to they keep close to them to keep them connected to loved ones they are separated from?

The writing style seemed so broken and scattered, but as I continued to read, it started to make sense as to why it was written that way. Things in times of war are not logical. Bad things happen to those around you and there are times when you have to distance yourself from them. Memories come back in splashes of images and are not usually conjoined in perfect form. This is kind of how the story was presented. He did have a great explanation of why he writes the stories he writes -

"I feel guilty sometimes. Forty-three years old and I'm still writing war stories. My daughter Kathleen tells me it's an obsession, that I should write about a little girl who finds a million dollars and spends it all on a Shetland pony. In a way, I guess, she's right. I should forget it. But the thing about remembering is that you don't forget. You take your material where you find it, which is in your life, at the intersection of past and present. The memory-traffic feeds into a rotary up on your head, where it goes in circles for a while, then pretty soon imagination flows in and the traffic merges and shoots off down a thousand different streets. As a writer, all you can do is pick a street and go for the ride, putting things down as they come at you. That's the real obsession. All those stories." Pg (34-35)

The only thing that started to aggravate me was trying to figure out which pieces of the stories being told were things that actually happened to Mr. O'Brien while he was serving his country and which were figments of his imagination. All that aside, it was a wonderfully told story of the things that become important to a soldier while he is in a combat zone away from his family, friends and loved ones. The things they carried, were often times of significance to them, or things they would need to do their jobs and survive.

"The things they carried were determined to some extent by superstition. Lieutenant Cross carried his good-luck pebble. Dave Jensen carried a rabbit's foot. Norman Bowker, otherwise a very gentle person, carried a thumb that has been presented to him as a gift by Mitchell Sanders. The thumb was dark brown, rubbery to the touch, and weighed 4 ounces at most"(Pg. 13).

After the things that soldiers see and experience during a time of war, the smallest memento or memory from home can be a powerful thing. This was definitely a eye-opening book, and being a war story, there are some very descriptive parts and some that just made my stomach ache. It also made me appreciate even more the things our soldiers do to protect us back home.

Tim O'Brien really puts you on the front lines of action, has you holding a weapon that just ended the life of an enemy, that upon further reflection was just doing their job,too, all the way into the mind of someone who is juggling with the idea of being drafted into something he doesn't believe in or taking that step to dodge and run for the Canadian border. No matter where each chapter drops you, you always feel as though you are right there with them. Experiencing and seeing whatever they happened to be a part of at the moment.

Definitely a good read for anyone interested in Vietnam, or any war for that matter.

Stone Cold

Title: Stone Cold
Author: David Baldacci
Date Finished: October 26, 2008
Pages: 544

David Baldacci is one of those authors that I have been meaning to pick up for quite a while, but always seem to end up reading something else. I was looking through our work library the other day and happened upon one of his books. So, I quickly picked it up and carried it to my desk. I usually try to find the first book that an author has written so that I don't miss any character development, but this time, I just decided to jump in wherever the book took me. Although this book does pick up in the middle of a series, I did not feel like I was missing any pertinent information that would hinder me from understanding what was going on. David Baldacci does a great job of character development and keeping the reader informed.

This book involves the elusive Camel Club members who are headed up by none other than Oliver Stone. This however, like several characters in this book, is not his real name. So many secrets are kept in this book, not only between friends, but between families as well. If government secrets, assassins, and mystery solving are of interest to you, I would highly recommend picking up this book.

Let me take a step back. The Camel Club consists of Oliver Stone, Milton Farb, Reuben Rhodes and Caleb Shaw. Each of these individuals plays an important role in the Club and are a unique piece of the puzzle. Some other star characters are Alex Ford (a Secret Service Agent), Annabelle Conroy, her father Paddy (who are both con artists), Carter Gray, Roger Simpson (both political figures), Ray Solomon (deceased), Harry Finn (complex individual living a double life), and a casino owner named Jerry Bagger.

Caleb works at a rare book store and gets a visit from Jerry Bagger while he is trying to find Annabelle. Caleb recognizes Jerry, but does his best to keep his cool and appear aloof. Meanwhile, Milton and Reuben are sent to Atlantic City to sniff out Bagger, not knowing he is in Washington D.C., on his own mission. Milton and Reuben, although trying to stay inconspicuous, end up drawing quite a bit of attention to themselves, and barely escape Atlantic City alive.

The Triple Sixes were a group of US Assassins, who in terms of public knowledge do not really exist. Some of their key members were Ray Solomon and Oliver Stone. The other members of this elite killing squad are being individually picked off and killed. What is the reasoning behind them being killed and why is the last thing they see a picture of them as a whole group? Carter Gray's house is blow-up a few hours after Oliver left. It is widely known that they are not on friendly terms, but did Oliver have something to do with the devastation? Did Carter really parish in the fire? A grave is dug up in Arlington's Memorial Cemetery and the name on the headstone is John Carr. Why is this significant to the Triple Sixes and what does this mean for Oliver?

While the Camel Club is trying to solve this mystery, they are also being used on another front to help Susan (whose real name is Annabelle) hid from the casino boss, Jerry Bagger that she just stole 4 millions dollars from. What past event drives Annabelle to put together such a detailed scheme again Jerry Bagger? Is there something in their past that links the two people together? Enter Paddy Conroy, Annabelle's father, who also conned Jerry Bagger in his past. Why does Annabelle hate her father and will they be able to make amends before one of them is taken away?

Although Oliver is the one who asked Annabelle to stay and fight back, he ends up having to abandon her when his own issues appear. Feeling bad about not being able to keep his word, Oliver calls his trusty friend and Secret Service Agent Alex Ford to come in and help her. There are not many people who know the true story behind Oliver Stone, but Alex does. They have worked together before and would trust their lives in the hands of each other, which in their world is a huge leap of faith. A Secret Service agent and a Con artist. You know that has to create a little bit of drama!

Harry Finn (also not his real name) has been brought up hearing bits and pieces about his fathers death. His mother, a Soviet spy, is hiding out in a nursing home, speaking incoherently when other are around, but speaks perfect Russian to her son. What caused her to go into hiding and what secrets does she know and has she told any of them to her one and only child? When a Soviet spy and an American spy get married, and you toss love into the mix of training, loyalty and honor, who converts to the other side and becomes a double agent? Could this have been the cause of his death? Treason is punishable by death in most places, back during this time.

Dirty politicians taking matters into their own hands. Nothing like that would ever happen, right? Ha! Both Carter Gray and Roger Simpson were involved in the spearheading of the Triple Sixes during and after the Vietnam war. Who used their political power to accomplish their own personal goals? Were the higher ups aware of what was playing out under their noses? Although this book poses lots of questions, each one of them is answered in due time. The drama that unfolds will leave you turning pages as fast as you can to find out what will happen next.

I will definitely pick up another one of David Baldacci's books, but I'll try to get them in order next time!