Tim O'Brien novel fictionalized from his experiences in the
Vietnam War. The title refers to the fact that the
Vietcong often travelled lightly, carrying only their
AK-47 rifles, ammunition, and
rice. This is in sharp contrast to
American soldiers, who travelled with a vast array of
weaponry, tools and personal items and were supported by an enormous network of trucks and helocopters which supplied them. The theme of being burdened by supplies common to a number of films and stories about the war, such as
Platoon and
Apocalypse Now.
The novel covers both experiences in the field, the process of going to war, and the difficulty of reassimilating back into society. The most graphic of the stories covers a platoon of men coming under mortar attack as they wade through a giant field of human feces, a none-too-subtle metaphor for the war as a whole. (The rest of the novel isn't quite so blunt)
O'Brien's novel is often used in high school and college english classes, but it's still a quick and worthwhile read. Amazon says this was a 1990 Pulitzer Prize finalist.