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A review by alexblackreads
If I Die in a Combat Zone: Box Me Up and Ship Me Home by Tim O'Brien
4.0
I had a bit of an iffy experience with the first Tim O'Brien book I read, In the Lake of the Woods (wanted to love it, didn't really), and had been itching to pick up another by him so I went with his nonfiction account of being drafted in the Vietnam war. And I loved it.
This is such a great firsthand account of someone's experience in Vietnam. It's so immediate and visceral and everything about it drew me. It took me ages to read and I can't figure out why because every time I picked it up, I thoroughly enjoyed it.
My favorite part was the immediacy. This book feels so utterly present. It was published only a few years after the war and it almost reads like O'Brien kept journals or something while in Vietnam because his thoughts are so in the moment and fresh. To me it felt like it lacked almost any after the fact reflective thoughts, which worked in the book's favors. He's in Vietnam and you're there with him and you really feel it.
Only caveat I'd say going in is you should definitely have a basic understanding of the war and the politics of the time because they're very relevant and he discusses them without really explaining (his audience in the 70s would already be incredibly familiar). But I'd wholeheartedly recommend this if you're looking for a firsthand account of Vietnam. It's great and poignant and he has such interesting thoughts and ideas. Definitely made me excited to read more from him.
This is such a great firsthand account of someone's experience in Vietnam. It's so immediate and visceral and everything about it drew me. It took me ages to read and I can't figure out why because every time I picked it up, I thoroughly enjoyed it.
My favorite part was the immediacy. This book feels so utterly present. It was published only a few years after the war and it almost reads like O'Brien kept journals or something while in Vietnam because his thoughts are so in the moment and fresh. To me it felt like it lacked almost any after the fact reflective thoughts, which worked in the book's favors. He's in Vietnam and you're there with him and you really feel it.
Only caveat I'd say going in is you should definitely have a basic understanding of the war and the politics of the time because they're very relevant and he discusses them without really explaining (his audience in the 70s would already be incredibly familiar). But I'd wholeheartedly recommend this if you're looking for a firsthand account of Vietnam. It's great and poignant and he has such interesting thoughts and ideas. Definitely made me excited to read more from him.