The things they carried 1

This book is way more than just an anthology of stories about vietnam. It's a study on the idea of truth. O'brien again and again states that some of the stories in the book are truer than they would be if they had actually happened. I find this interesting, it sort of makes truth a metaphysical concept rather than a statement of fact. Also, the stories are very well written, in particular The Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong, which has a haunting quality about it.