Tim O'Brien is the one of the greatest living American authors. He was drafted for service in Vietnam as soon as he graduated from Macalester College in 1968. His Vietnam War novels The Things They Carried and Going After Cacciato are widely acknowledged as some of the best American war novels ever written. Critical Companion to Tim O'Brien is a comprehensive new resource for anyone interested in this author's life, works, and achievements.

Coverage includes:

-A concise but thorough biography of O'Brien

-Entries on all O'Brien's works, including his war novels, Going After Cacciato, The Things They Carried, and In the Lake of the Woods; his memoir, If I Die in a Combat Zone, Box Me Up and Ship Me Home; and all his other published novels and short stories, including The Nuclear Age, July, July, and more

-Entries on related people, places, and topics, such as Green Berets, Ernest Hemingway, metafiction, and Viet Cong

-Appendixes, including a chronology, a bibliography of O'Brien's works, and a secondary source bibliography.