‘The Lives of the Dead’ by Tim O’Brien: Short Story Analysis ‘The Lives of the Dead’ is a short story in memoir form by American writer Tim O’Brien from his book The Things They Carried. Tim O’Brien, while a young man, was drafted into the army and sent to Vietnam. His books are part fiction and part autobiographical about his life as a soldier and then as a writer. … [Read more...] about ‘The Lives of the Dead’ by Tim O’Brien: Short Story Analysis