The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien

“And in the end, of course, a true war story is never about war. It's about sunlight. It's about the special way that dawn spreads out on a river when you know you must cross the river and march into the mountains and do things you are afraid to do. It's about love and memory. It's about sorrow. It's about sisters who never write back and people who never listen.” (Tim O’Brien, The Things They Carried)

War can be light and dark; it can be helpful and dreadful. It is about conquering your biggest fears and feeling extreme anguish. A war story is full of hundred of other stories, having nothing to do with war. The Things They Carried is about the capacity to love, it is about carrying the burden of keeping everyone alive, it is about keeping the dead alive, it is about honoring the dead, it is about growing up.

20 years after fighting in the Vietnam War, Tim O’Brien writes The Things They Carried, along with other books to help him deal with all the guilt and pain after experiencing such horrible atrocities. Every soldier carried the same basic items, which were things like pocket knives, matches, salt tablets, C rations, and canteens of water. Them some carried bibles, love letters, little pebbles, and tranquilizers. They all carried each other. But possibly, the heaviest things they carried were what they had on the inside. Whether it was fear, or grief, or remorse, or love or longing, they all felt it.

The Things They Carried is so eloquent and powerful, that it is hard for me to believe it is a work of fiction. Tim O’Brien writes straight from the heart, making the characters and the situations seem so authentic and beautiful. The story is so unique, but at the same time it is heartbreaking and tragic.

Looking for Alaska by John Green

Last Words:

• François Rabelais- “I go to seek a Great Perhaps”


• Thomas Edison- “It's very beautiful over there”


• Simon Bolivar- “How will I ever get out of this labyrinth?”


• Someone’s last words can teach us many things about a person, like what they enjoyed, where they wanted to go, what they wanted to do, or what they wanted to learn. In John Green’s Looking for Alaska, Pudge has an obsession for learning and memorizing the last words of famous people.


• Miles Halter is leaving his home in Florida to escape his unpopular, dull life, and goes to Culver Creek Preparatory School in Alabama in search of the “Great Perhaps”. Once there, he befriends his roommate Chip, also known as the Colonel, who gives him the nickname, Pudge. Pudge later meets the Colonel’s best friend, Alaska Young, a gorgeous, wild, moody, and self destructive girl who immediately becomes the object of his affection. He joins their group and becomes involved in their pranks against the Weekday Warriors, and gives into their bad habits such as drinking and smoking. This moving, poignant novel explores Pudge’s journey as he searches for answers, love, friendship, and most importantly the “Great Perhaps”.


• Before I even finished reading the book, I knew Looking for Alaska was going to be one of my favorites. Not only are the characters beautifully drawn and the plot brilliantly conceived, but the story is full of so much substance, making it almost impossible to put down. Looking for Alaska offers some of the most valuable messages and life lessons to readers in a very accessible way. Overall it is passionate, hilarious, and though-provoking.

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Imagine yourself emerging from of a near death experience, where in one way or another, everyone is after you. Your town is diminished, your home—gone. You’re confused. You don’t know who to trust, where to go, or what to do. Not only have you lost someone you loved, but you might also have lost yourself. You are trapped in a dark pit of sorrow and anguish and it feels like you will never escape. This is parallel to how Katniss Everdeen feels at the beginning of Mockingjay, the third book in The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins. Katniss Everdeen escapes the Quarter Quell to find District 12 in ruins. She now stuck in District 13, which was thought to be destroyed. She wears a bracelet that says “mentally disoriented” but meanwhile is the figurehead of a huge rebellion taking place throughout almost all of the other districts. It seems like the world is against her and she is beyond confused. Her mind is flooded with countless haunting questions: Where’s Peeta? Is he alright? Should I trust in President Coin? Is it Gale who I want? Am I capable of being the Mockingjay? Katniss is caught in a war and she doesn’t know if she should fight or hide in the nearest closet. Suzanne Collins brilliantly concluded the Hunger Games trilogy with Mockingjay. Throughout all of the books, she successfully displays themes such as loyalty, trust, violence, and rebellion. I absolutely adore all of the books and how wonderfully the characters developed. Also the flow of the series is fantastic. While reading, I did not want the book to end. I was hooked to the plot and the characters. I was so angry and sad when I finished Mockingjay because I thought the magic was over. Little did I know that the magic would never go away. I finished the book almost two months ago and lie awake some nights thinking about the books.