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Tim O'Brien

Born

in Austin, Minnesota, The United States

October 01, 1946

Genre

Literature & Fiction, Nonfiction

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Tim O'Brien is an American novelist who served as a soldier in the Vietnam War. Much of his writing is about wartime Vietnam, and his work later in life often explores the postwar lives of its veterans.
O'Brien is perhaps best known for his book The Things They Carried (1990), a collection of linked semi-autobiographical stories inspired by his wartime experiences. In 2010, The New York Times described it as "a classic of contemporary war fiction." O'Brien wrote the war novel, Going After Cacciato (1978), which was awarded the National Book Award.
O'Brien taught creative writing, holding the endowed chair at the MFA program of Texas State University–San Marcos every other academic year from 2003 to 2012. ...more

Combine Editions
Tim O'Brien’s books

Average rating: 4.08 · 401,192 ratings · 26,130 reviews · 130 distinct works • Similar authors

	The Things They Carried 4.14 avg rating — 332,233 ratings — published 1990 — 134 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	In the Lake of the Woods 3.76 avg rating — 23,584 ratings — published 1994 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Going After Cacciato 3.91 avg rating — 14,286 ratings — published 1978 — 71 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	If I Die in a Combat Zone, Box Me Up and Ship Me Home 3.96 avg rating — 11,523 ratings — published 1973 — 70 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	America Fantastica 3.45 avg rating — 4,414 ratings — published 2023 — 12 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	July, July 3.48 avg rating — 3,955 ratings — published 2002 — 36 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Tomcat in Love 3.44 avg rating — 3,443 ratings — published 1998 — 38 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Northern Lights 3.32 avg rating — 1,273 ratings — published 1975 — 20 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Nuclear Age 3.47 avg rating — 1,178 ratings — published 1985 — 26 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Dad's Maybe Book 3.94 avg rating — 839 ratings — published 2019 — 15 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Tim O'Brien…

Autumn is a good time for books, for many reasons. Seasonally, it just feels right, what with the falling leaves and roaring fireplaces....

Polls

July 2018 War and Travel

Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad (1900)

8 votes, 47.1%

Monkey: The Journey to the West by Wu Cheng'en (1590's) (Waley abridged translation, 1942)

4 votes, 23.5%

The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien (1990)

3 votes, 17.6%

Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson (1882)

2 votes, 11.8%

17 total votes

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