Because "How to Tell a True War Story" is written by a Vietnam War veteran, and because Tim O'Brien has chosen to create a narrator with the same name as his own, most readers want to believe that the stories O'Brien tells are true and actually happened to him. There are several reasons for this. In the first place, O'Brien's so-called memoir, If I Die In a Combat Zone, contains many stories that find their way into his later novels and short fiction. Thus, it is difficult for the reader to sort through what is memory and what is fiction.
There are those, however, who would suggest that this is one of O'Brien's points in writing his stories. Although most readers would believe that their own memories are "true," this particular story.....
This is a free excerpt of 135 words. This section contains 704 words. This
study guide contains 13,265 words (approx. 44 pages at 300
words per page).
Read the rest of this Literature Guide with our How to Tell a True War Story Access Pass.
