Books like The Things They Carried

Looking for books like The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien (War Novel · 880L · grades 11–12)? It’s most often read for its themes of war, memory, and guilt and memory. The 10 titlesbelow are the closest matches in the ReadingList database — each scored on shared themes, genre, and reading level, and each linked to the curricula, states, and grades where it’s assigned, with primary sources.

These are reading-level matches, not just topical ones — so the picks stay grade-appropriate for a grades 11–12 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

10 books similar to The Things They Carried

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Why each is a match

All Quiet on the Western Front830L
Shares themes of war, same genre (War Novel), and a close reading level (830L vs 880L).
Our Towngrades 9–12
Shares themes of memory and mortality and overlapping grades (9–12).
The Fault in Our Stars850L
Shares themes of mortality and a close reading level (850L vs 880L).
Life of Pi830L
Shares themes of storytelling and a close reading level (830L vs 880L).
My Ántonia1010L
Shares themes of memory and a close reading level (1010L vs 880L).
A Separate Peace1110L
Shares themes of guilt and memory and a close reading level (1110L vs 880L).
Salt to the Sea560L
Shares themes of war and overlapping grades (8–12).
Divine Rivalsgrades 9–12
Shares themes of war and overlapping grades (9–12).
Hamletgrades 11–12
Shares themes of mortality and overlapping grades (11–12).
Not Quite Dead Yetgrades 7–12
Shares themes of mortality and overlapping grades (7–12).

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