Books Like...
If you liked The Things They Carried, here are the top 100 books to read next:
A haunting, beautifully written anti-war classic that rips away romantic notions of battle. Not an easy read, but an essential one - if you've ever wondered what war really does to those who fight in it, this book is a must.
We are at rest five miles behind the front. Yesterday we were relieved, and now our bellies are full of beef and haricot beans. We are satisfied and at peace. Each man has another mess-tin full for th...- #2
Save:Matterhorn pulls no punches - it's raw, powerful, and unforgettable. One of the best modern war novels, but prepare yourself: it’s a tough, often devastating read that stays with you long after you finish.
Rumor has it, Mellas broke in, that Cassidy managed to get some clippers from the arty people thatll get passed around, and theyve got plenty of water, too. So everyone shaves. And about the shav... - #3
Save:A haunting, powerful anti-war classic that will leave you shaken and deep in thought - just be ready for some seriously heavy reading.
He wished the phone would stop ringing. It was bad enough to be sick let alone having a phone ring all night long. Boy was he sick. Not from any of their sour french wine either. A man couldn't hold e... - #4
Save:A richly written, multi-layered spy novel that challenges how we think about history, loyalty, and identity. Not a breezy read, but a rewarding one if you’re up for a darkly humorous, cerebral exploration of the Vietnam War from a fresh perspective.
I am a spy, a sleeper, a spook, a man of two faces. Perhaps not surprisingly, I am also a man of two minds. I am not some misunderstood mutant from a comic book or a horror movie, although some have t... - #5
Save:A harrowing, truly unique war book with unforgettable writing - messy, honest, and haunting. Not for everyone, but a must for anyone interested in the reality (and unreality) of Vietnam.
There was a map of Vietnam on the wall of my apartment in Saigon and some nights, coming back late to the city, I’d lie out on my bed and look at it, too tired to do anything more than just get my boo... - #6
Save:A brilliantly surreal, darkly funny, and thought-provoking classic - equal parts hilarious and horrifying. Stick with the chaos and you’ll see why it’s called one of the greatest novels of the 20th century.
Yossarian was in the hospital with a pain in his liver that fell just short of being jaundice. The doctors were puzzled by the fact that it wasn’t quite jaundice. If it became jaundice they could trea... - #7
Save:A gripping, brutally honest WWI memoir that pulls no punches - a must-read for history and military enthusiasts, but its cold detachment won’t be everyone’s cup of tea.
The train stopped at Bazancourt, a small town in Champagne, and we got out. Full of awe and incredulity, we listened to the slow grinding pulse of the front, a rhythm we were to become mightily famili... - #8
Save:A wild, thought-provoking anti-war classic that blends dark comedy, sci-fi, and history into something unforgettable - definitely worth reading at least once, even if just to see what all the fuss (and "so it goes") is about.
All this happened, more or less. The war parts, anyway, are pretty much true. One guy I knew really was shot in Dresden for taking a teapot that wasn’t his. Another guy I knew really did threaten to h... A beautifully haunting, unconventional war novel that offers a necessary Vietnamese perspective - bleak, powerful, and unforgettable. Not an easy read, but an essential one for anyone who wants to truly understand the human cost of war.
Even into early December, weeks after the end of the normal rainy season, the jungles this year are still as muddy as all hell. They are forgotten by peace, damaged or impassable, all the tracks disap...- #10
Save:A genre-bending odyssey through the Vietnam War that’s as much about the mind as the battlefield. Surreal, haunting, and thoughtful - definitely worth a read if you like your war stories with a twist.
It was a bad time. Billy Boy Watkins was dead, and so was Frenchie Tucker. Billy Boy had died of fright, scared to death on the field of battle, and Frenchie Tucker had been shot through the nose. Ber...
