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

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).
Hamletgrades 11–12
Shares themes of mortality and overlapping grades (11–12).
Persepolis: The Story of a Childhoodgrades 9–12
Shares themes of war and overlapping grades (9–12).
The Glass Menageriegrades 11–12
Shares themes of memory and overlapping grades (11–12).

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