Tim O'Brien reads from and discusses his classic Vietnam war novel, The Things They Carried. Since its first publication 20 years ago, The Things They Carried has become an unparalleled Vietnam testament, a classic work of American literature, and a profound study of men at war that illuminates the capacity and the limits of the human heart and soul. They carried malaria tablets, love letters, 28-pound mine detectors, illustrated Bibles, and each other. And if they made it home alive, they carried unrelenting images of a nightmarish war that history is only beginning to absorb.The Things They Carried won France's prestigious Prix du Meilleur Livre Etranger and the Chicago Tribune Heartland Prize; it was also a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award.