TAHOE/TRUCKEE and#8212; Thirty-five North Tahoe students traveled to Incline High School and listened to and#8220;The Things They Carriedand#8221; author Tim Oand#8217;Brien speak about his book, war experiences, and writing in a private presentation last Friday.

and#8220;The Things They Carriedand#8221; is a work of fiction with interrelated stories based on the authorand#8217;s experiences in the Vietnam War. The book is read by students in Mr. Freemanand#8217;s senior English class.

Oand#8217;Brien spoke of his war experiences, his reactions to being drafted into a war in which he did not believe and the art of writing war stories that promote peace. He also discussed his belief that any politician who promotes a war should enlist and fight the war. Finally, students commented about Oand#8217;Brienand#8217;s honest opinion of war, and the authorand#8217;s need to speak out, and bear witness to war.

Students were captured by the emotions the presentation brought out in the author, especially when he read excerpts. and#8220;It was as if he was experiencing the war all over again,and#8221; said one senior. Oand#8217;Brien also spoke about the difficulty of saying and#8220;noand#8221; to going to Vietnam, citing expectations from his family and the confinements of being from a small town.

Later, Oand#8217;Brien spoke to an audience of more than 300 at Sierra Nevada College.

and#8212; From Library By The Lake, NTHS Students Meet Author Tim O'Brien, http://nthslibrary.blogspot.com/2012/09/nths-students-meet-author-tim-obrien.html

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