Taught to sophomores in Honors English II, Pulitzer finalist “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien is a collection of stories from soldiers who fought in the Vietnam War that toes the line between memoir and fiction.
“The whole curriculum in Honors English II is the power of storytelling, the ability to put yourself in someone else’s shoes and also the blurred lines between fact and fiction,” English teacher Jessica Cunningham said.
Not only does this story force students to examine these lines, but serves as an introduction to unreliable narration in literature for many students. With the author present as a character throughout the narrative, students begin to look at where each story might have been embellished and whether that is a good or bad thing.
“You fall off your bike and then it becomes ‘I almost died,’ but also again, that is part of the power of storytelling,” Cunningham said. “People craft these amazing stories from things that they have experienced and it’s a powerful thing to hear about people’s experiences and look at things through a different lens.”
This new lens can help students in their comprehension of the material, as well as its source.
“Tim O’Brien’s half-fiction half-memoir writing made me feel like I was one of the soldiers,” junior Matthew Howell said. “It taught me to look at every situation from more than just my experience.”
Students also learn about the psychological effects of war from O’Brien. Beginning to understand the PTSD, trauma and guilt that soldiers and civilians take away from war is something that students utilize multiple times throughout high school in both English and history classes.
Not only does this understanding have academic implications, but teaches 10th graders something real about the world and war.
“While most of these students will not enroll in the military, it is such an important thing to learn,” Cunningham said. “Wars have been part of our history and we need to learn about them so these things don’t happen again.”
Learning through the stories and experiences of others provides a perspective that isn’t attainable through a lecture or a textbook.
“The conversations that arise really show how books can provide more light on the human experience because we all walk a different path in life and reading takes us places that we never would have gone otherwise,” Cunningham said.
Reading “The Things They Carried” is not only pivotal in sophomores learning to understand different perspectives, but also provides an important academic introduction to unreliable narration and real-life issues represented in literature.

Banned for “teaching controversial topics,” “Just Mercy” by Bryan Stevenson is an autobiographical work that deals with his journey working with underprivileged groups of people, more specifically within the prison system.
When discussing issues shrouded in such controversy, students can have a lot to say.
“It creates a really rich discussion because you can have multiple points of view and perspectives about it,” IB English teacher Jennifer Caldwell said. “People come in with their own views and perceptions about the prison system and the death penalty so it provides a nice environment for being able to share those different positions.”
Not only do these discussions give students a place to share, but can also bring new perspectives to light for them.
“It opened my mind to the possibility of what can happen to certain people simply because they’re viewed a certain way,” junior Kiera Post said. “I drive without fear; I don’t really think about getting pulled over but there are people who are thinking ‘Oh my God I can’t get pulled over’ because it could put their life at risk.”
In addition to new perspectives on racial and minority issues, the book lends itself to discussing a multitude of different global issues.
“People have written really beautiful essays about, for example, male loneliness or other global issues and topics that pop up in there,” Caldwell said.
Per IB English curriculum, students are expected to be able to write eloquently about complex issues, which is why the rich and diverse content of “Just Mercy” is well suited for the classroom.
Possibly one of the biggest takeaways for students who read this book is not a moral lesson or theme, but rather knowledge about real-world issues.
“Lots of people have been really surprised by the information they’ve found,” Caldwell said. “It really opens students’ eyes up to some of the things that we don’t hear about.”
While controversy does not always have a place in the classroom, that present “Just Mercy” does not spark arguments. Instead, it sparks informative and passionate discussions in the safety of a classroom that can be mediated by a teacher if necessary.