The Things They Carried

By: Tim O'Brien

Narrated by: Bryan Cranston

Length: 7 hrs and 47 mins

Publisher's summary

This modern classic and New York Times best seller was a finalist for both the 1990 Pulitzer Prize and National Book Critics Circle Award and has become a staple of American classrooms. Hailed by The New York Times as "a marvel of storytelling", The Things They Carried’s portrayal of the boots-on-the-ground experience of soldiers in the Vietnam War is a landmark in war writing. Now, three-time Emmy Award winner Bryan Cranston, star of the hit TV series Breaking Bad, delivers an electrifying performance that walks the book’s hallucinatory line between reality and fiction and highlights the emotional power of the spoken word.

The soldiers in this collection of stories carried M-16 rifles, M-60 machine guns, and M-79 grenade launchers. They carried plastic explosives, hand grenades, flak jackets, and landmines. But they also carried letters from home, illustrated Bibles, and pictures of their loved ones. Some of them carried extra food or comic books or drugs. Every man carried what he needed to survive, and those who did carried their shattering stories away from the jungle and back to a nation that would never understand.

This audiobook also includes an exclusive recording “The Vietnam in Me,” a recount of the author’s trip back to Vietnam in 1994, revisiting his experience there as a soldier 25 years before, read by Tim O’Brien himself.

The Things They Carried was produced by Audible Studios in partnership with Playtone, the celebrated film and television production company founded by Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman, and producer of the award-winning series Band of Brothers, John Adams, and The Pacific, as well as the HBO movie Game Change.

For more from Audible and Playtone, click here.

©1990 Tim O'Brien (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Cranston may be the most charismatic embodiment of moral ambiguity we currently possess. There was always something comforting as well as menacing in Walter White's voice, and Cranston attacks O'Brien's sober, sinewy prose with slightly scary authority.... [I]f you were a binge-watcher of Breaking Bad it will be no big deal to spend six hours in his company here." ( The New York Times Book Review)

"Structurally the novel gestures to William Faulkner's As I Lay Dying, while Ryan's sensitive observations on Irish life seem responsive to the work of his compatriot Patrick McCabe. That Ryan does not look out of place in such literary company is a measure of his achievement." ( The Financial Times)

"The best of these stories--and none is written with less than the sharp edge of honed vision--are memory and prophecy. These tell us not where we were but where we are, and perhaps where we will be. . . . It is an ultimate, indelible image of war in our time, and in time to come." ( Los Angeles Times)

"O'Brien's haunting collection of connected stories about the Vietnam War is more alive than ever in this narration. Bryan Cranston's resonant, sometimes formal, performance often leaves the listener reeling. Cranston's voice is deep and patient, laying back to let the characters' collective pain take the fore. Memorable scenes include a man's receipt of his draft notice in "On the Rainy River," battle scenes in "The Man I Killed," and aspects of the war's aftermath in "Speaking of Courage." In all the works, Cranston offers a measured, compassionate voice. O'Brien's stories emphasize the importance of telling the truth of war stories, and Cranston's respect for his intent is clear and comforting. At times, his sonorous tone is hypnotic, but this is more an asset than a liability. All the better to make the listener feel." ( AudioFile)

Heart wrenching

Must read for all. The damages of war go so far beyond the death and destruction.

Beautifully heart wrenching

Im not a fan of war time stories. But this book was amazing. Beautiful Sad

Nice yet tragic story

I enjoyed it and was educated at the same time. nice narration. The second part was even better. I've never been in the military and will never be. But for those who went, I have much respect for you.

Wow

Amazing listen. The type of story more people need to hear. Really makes you think about the terror and struggle of war.

as good as everyone says

real, difficult, and insightful. I think this is a great look at the reality of war and it's aftermath. its clear how much mr. o'brien struggles with his experiences. interesting to compare his thoughts and experiences with Iraq and Afghanistan vets. different but equal pain.

Fantastic Stories and Narration

I thought O’Brien’s end credits were pretty bad, but the book is so damn good. Well worth a purchase

Jarring, revealing, intimate, and contemplative.

Provides a flavorful variety of stories, from gritty and dark, to sober and evocative. Perspicacious.

Brilliant!!

Heartfelt and genuine! As a veteran I can relate in so many levels! Absolutely brilliant! Thank you, Mr. O’Brien for sharing.

Tends toward entropy towards the end

Still, this made me shiver occasionally. It is by turns sad, funny, and horrifying. Very much what I experienced in a different era, not much more so.

Bryan Cranston did an amazing job

I think this book is actually quite interesting and often makes one uncomfortable. I think this book is fairly realistic in it's view of the war. The only thing I didn't like, to be honest whs that I felt it was really repetitious.