Tim O’Brien Books In Order

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Publication Order of Non-Fiction Books

Publication Order of Anthologies

Tim O’Brien is a published author. Two of his works have become films. A Soldier’s Sweetheart was released in 1998 and in 1996 a television movie was made of his book ‘In the Lake of the Woods’.

O’Brien was born on October 1, 1946 in Austin, Minnesota. He attended Macalester College and graduated in 1968 with his Bachelors degree in political science. He also received a draft notice right around this time.

The author was not in favor of the war, but chose to report regardless. He was enrolled and was sent over to fight in Vietnam. O’Brien was part of the Americal division, referred to as unlucky due to the involvement of the division in the 1968 My Lai massacre.

O’Brien was part of the 3rd Platoon with the A Company on the 5th Battalion and as part of the 46th Infantry serving as a foot soldier as part of the infantry. His tour of duty lasted from 1969 to 1970. He came back and was one of the lucky ones in the end. Once his time serving in Vietnam was over, he enrolled in Harvard where he was accepted as a graduate student.

The writer was certainly one of a few veterans of the engagement that was able to present at the time, and definitely probably the only CIB (Combat Infantry Badge) holder or one of very few. He was presented with the chance to take part in an internship working at famed publication the Washington Post. Tim would eventually make his departure from Harvard in order to work as a newspaper reporter.

He worked as a reporter for some time, but this eventually led to an interest in writing fiction. Once he had composed his memoir and it had been published (‘If I Die’), O’Brien decided to turn his attention to writing something that was not strictly drawn from his own life.

Today, Tim O’Brien is not only a writer but a visiting professor at Texas State University, where he is also an endowed chair. He teaches as part of their program of creative writing there and shares his experiences, talent and skill with the incoming writers of a new generation. He has come out with several full length novels as well as collections.

Tim O’Brien had his first full length novel come out in 1975. It is titled Northern Lights. This book has had several printings since and is well worth a look as this debut novel from this author is a prime example of the narrative tension and emotional complexity that would go on to earn him a National Book Award.

Northern Lights is the story of two brothers and their paths in life as well as their relationship with each other. One brother was sent off to fight in Vietnam, while the other stayed home. That division of paths has since been brought together and they are both back in the States.

The brothers are in the north woods, a remote area of forest in Minnesota. When a blizzard suddenly comes on that they were not expecting, the two of them are going to have to struggle in order to survive. In the end, what they end up finding out about themselves as well as the other may have the potential to change the two of them eternally.

This debut novel from Tim O’Brien is an interesting peek into the history of two brothers as well as where they stand in the present. One of them faced down near certain death in Vietnam while the other has no idea what that is like. Now the two of them are up against the odds as well as mother nature in a battle of sheer will to stay alive.

Can the two of them make it out there in the wild? Or is this their chance to finally reconcile and make their peace before they go? You are going to have to pick up a copy of this amazing debut work of fiction from an acclaimed author and read all the way to the end in order to find out!

Going After Cacciato is the second full length fictional novel from Tim O’Brien. This is a book that in 1979 earned the author the National Book Award. This is a book that puts down a mix of the hallucination as well as the horror that were part of the war.

Expertly written and neatly captured, Going After Cacciato is heavily based on the writer’s own experiences in Vietnam and what warfare there was like for him, yet another story involving the individual and the military and specific settings for world conflict.

This book tells a story of the main character, a young an and soldier. One day he decides to put down his rifle. In the process of doing so, he is about to go on a journey that is both heady and strange. It will take him from the mysterious jungles covered with flora and fauna in Indochina all the way to the famous city of Paris and down the streets of France.

A mix of a little bit of fantasy while paired with a good dose of reality, this is an interesting book to check out. If you are a fan of history based stories or anything written by this author, it’s bound to be a novel that belongs in your library!

Engaging and thrilling, this is the expertly crafted tale of a young man that decides maybe the life of being a soldier just isn’t for him. As men run away from battle or rise up to meet the challenge that is demanded of them, the readers gets the chance to get a uniquely poignant inside look at the choices and the consequences of a young man in particular.

If you are planning on reading one war novel this year, then you’ve got to make it O’Brien’s Cacciato. Pick up a copy for yourself and catch all of the heroism, risk, fear, and adventure that the hearts of man all share when it comes to going into battle. Read to the end to find out what happens at the end of the story and what happens to this young soldier!

One Response to “Tim O’Brien”

1. jan pruatt: 2 years ago

   Just finished listening to Tim O’Brien read his most recent book, Dad’s Maybe Book. This memoir is fantastic and covers Tim’s years as an older father. It also delves into his war years, his own father that he wished he’d known better. This book is so inspiring for me who also lived through those years when my fellow class mates fought in Vietnam. Thank you, Mr. O’Brien for your words, thoughts and desire to leave a legacy to your boys. I’m compelled to write a book too for my granddaughter with similar stories that will help her to know who I really am, as you have done for Tad and Timmy. May God bless you, kind sir, for your gift to others through your writings. The world is a better place because you have lived in it, and contributed so humbly of yourself.

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