National Book Award-winning author Tim O’Brien will speak with Deerfield at an Academy Event on September 26th. O’ Brien’s landmark novel, The Things They Carried, was chosen by the English Department to be this year’s all-school read. The book, based off of O’Brien’s tour in Vietnam as part of the 23rd Infantry Division, was quoted by the New York Times as “a marvel of storytelling… a vital, important book.” The book is a series of linked autobiographical stories exploring themes of truth and storytelling.
Upon completing his tour, O’Brien went on to graduate school at Harvard University and, later, an internship with the Washington Post. In 1973, he published his first war memoir, If I Die in a Combat Zone, Box Me Up and Ship Me Home.
O’Brien’s other works include Going After Cacciato, Tomcat in Love, and July, July. This October, O’Brien will be releasing his latest work, Dad’s Maybe Book, a nonfiction memoir on being a father.
At the upcoming Academy Event, O’Brien will both discuss The Things They Carried and read excerpts from the not-yet released Dad’s Maybe Book.