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"In the spring of 1984, I went to the northwest of France, to Normandy, to prepare an NBC documentary on the fortieth anniversary of D-Day, the massive and daring Allied invasion of Europe that marked the beginning of the end of Adolf Hitler's Third Reich. There, I underwent a life-changing experience. As I walked the beaches with the American veterans who had returned for this anniversary, men in their sixties and seventies, and listened to their stories, I was deeply moved and profoundly grateful for all they had done. Ten years later, I returned to Normandy for the fiftieth anniversary of the invasion, and by then I had come to understand what this generation of Americans meant to history. It is, I believe, the greatest generation any society has ever produced."
In this superb book, Tom Brokaw goes out into America, to tell through the stories of individual men and women the story of a generation, America's citizen heroes and heroines who came of age during the Great Depression and the Second World War and went on to build modern America. This generation was united not only by a common purpose, but also by common values--duty, honor, economy, courage, service, love of family and country, and, above all, responsibility for oneself. In this book, you will meet people whose everyday lives reveal how a generation persevered through war, and were trained by it, and then went on to create interesting and useful lives and the America we have today.
"At a time in their lives when their days and nights should have been filled with innocent adventure, love, and the lessons of the workaday world, they were fighting in the most primitive conditions possible across the bloodied landscape of France, Belgium, Italy, Austria, and the coral islands of the Pacific. They answered the call to save the world from the two most powerful and ruthless military machines ever assembled, instruments of conquest in the hands of fascist maniacs. They faced great odds and a late start, but they did not protest. They succeeded on every front. They won the war; they saved the world. They came home to joyous and short-lived celebrations and immediately began the task of rebuilding their lives and the world they wanted. They married in record numbers and gave birth to another distinctive generation, the Baby Boomers. A grateful nation made it possible for more of them to attend college than any society had ever educated, anywhere. They gave the world new science, literature, art, industry, and economic strength unparalleled in the long curve of history. As they now reach the twilight of their adventurous and productive lives, they remain, for the most part, exceptionally modest. They have so many stories to tell, stories that in many cases they have never told before, because in a deep sense they didn't think that what they were doing was that special, because everyone else was doing it too.
"This book, I hope, will in some small way pay tribute to those men and women who have given us the lives we have today--an American family portrait album of the greatest generation."
In this book you'll meet people like Charles Van Gorder, who set up during D-Day a MASH-like medical facility in the middle of the fighting, and then came home to create a clinic and hospital in his hometown. You'll hear George Bush talk about how, as a Navy Air Corps combat pilot, one of his assignments was to read the mail of the enlisted men under him, to be sure no sensitive military information would be compromised. And so, Bush says, "I learned about life." You'll meet Trudy Elion, winner of the Nobel Prize in medicine, one of the many women in this book who found fulfilling careers in the changed society as a result of the war. You'll meet Martha Putney, one of the first black women to serve in the newly formed WACs. And you'll meet the members of the Romeo Club (Retired Old Men Eating Out), friends for life.
Through these and other stories in The Greatest Generation, you'll relive with ordinary men and women, military heroes, famous people of great achievement, and community leaders how these extraordinary times forged the values and provided the training that made a people and a nation great.
From the Hardcover edition.
Brokow's abandonment
| Customer Rating:   | | After sharing the wonderful accounts of this self sacrificing generation so fairly, Tom Brokow has currently chosen to throw them all overboard. Everything they fought against is finding its way into our society today, under the blind eye of today's main stream media. Brokow's lack of journalistic integrity and bias has been completely exposed. His recent interview on the PBS Charlie Rose show has demonstrated, with Brokow's own words, he didn't do his journalistic duty and find out who Senator Obama is. Tom and Charlie Rose bemoaned the fact they know nothing about Obama. Isn't it interesting that he can research and produce such a good book about my father's generation, the Great Depression and WWII, but can't or won't do any research into the alliances, college years, internet fund raising sources and financial activities of a man seeking the highest office in our country. Tom really doesn't respect my father's generations' accomplishments because he has decided to tread all over them. Thank you so much Tom, for your journalistic incompetence. |
Stop and reflect a little
| Customer Rating: | I just finished this book. I know it's years old, but it's new to me. I sat down with it expecting to basically have a written version of any History Channel documentary about the World War II generation. In some respects, I suppose that's what it is. On the other hand, the vignettes and profiles that Brokaw has included in his book are fascinating, and some are heartrending. To watch one's brother receive a fatal injury in battle, and be helpless to do anything about it . . . that's just horrific.
This book delves into the psyche of the generation of my grandfather. It goes a long way in explaining why and how he interacted with my father, and even with me. Coming from what I sometimes call the "touchy-feely generation," I always wondered why Grandpa never talked about is war experiences. We all knew that he'd been blown over the side of his ship during a kamikaze attack, and that he was subsequently taken prisoner by the Japanese, but that's really about it. He never, ever opened up and talked about it. It was perplexing.
After reading Brokaw's book, I now understand why Grandpa was the way he was a little better. Brokaw chose his subjects well in The Greatest Generation, and I think he builds his case well, too (although he tends toward fluffy adverbial phrases, which I find a bit too saccharine on occassion.) This is an easy read, and it's broken into bite-size chunks that make it an easy book to come back to for specifics. As a teacher, I appreciate Brokaw's insight into the generation that helped to establish the U.S. as a superpower, and the drive and determination that went into everything they did. I've used some of his examples when I approach teaching about the sixties, and how the definition of personal freedom changed with the baby-boomers -- how that clashed with their parents' generation, and why.
Definitely worth the read, and a little personal reflection about how the lessons of our grandparents and parents might be applied today, in a world that could use another generation of heroes. |
Copy was highlighted
| Customer Rating: | | The copy recieved was not as described. I was expecting a clean used copy and I recieved a copy that was used as a text book and had yellow & green highlighter and hand written notes in the margins. I could not give it as a gift. |
Generation- World War II
| Customer Rating: | Tom Brokaw has coined the World War II generation the greatest generation ever. In this book, he chronicles the lives and times of those who fought in World War II and how it affected them. The book is broken up into sections with miniature biographies of individuals telling of there lives before, during, and after the War.
Undeniably, there were tremendous sacrifices by those in uniform and at home and the whole country rallied to help the troops win the war. The book includes average Joe and Jill type of people as well as more well known veterans such as Hank Greenberg, Bob Dole, Andy Rooney, George H.W. Bush, John F. Kennedy, and Art Buchwald. It also covers the story of women's contributions to the war effort whether in or out of uniform. Additionally, the civil rights issues of equality to minorities is covered in fairly extensive detail. Some of the stories describing the inequalities and discrimination which occurred provided better insight into the nature of things in that day.
By and large, veterans following the war were eager to get on with life, start families and successful business and political careers. The war helped shape their focus and sense of purpose. This generation helped create a framework upon which all living in America today now benefit.
Towards the end of the book, things seemed to slow down a bit and the overall flow of the book could probably have benefited from cutting down the length 50 or so pages. This is not to say the stories were not worthy of being told, it simply had a feeling of weightiness and length at 390 pages.
This book should be a required part of high school curriculum so that all students would better understand the tremendous sacrifice, efforts, and heroics performed by the incredible men and women of this generation. By understanding the values and things that drove this generation, the youth and upcoming leaders of today can draw upon their wisdom and positively shape the future of our nation. Like individual pieces in a jigsaw puzzle come together to create a picture, the individual stories of the regular folks and well known come together to create a picture of the greatest generation America has yet seen. |
An inspirational portrait of America`s finest people......
| Customer Rating: | Tom Brokaw has brought forth one of the most inspiring and touching
accounts ever written.The Greatest Generation is a must-read for each
and every American.
His subjects will leave the reader feeling both admiration and gratitude
for these wonderful individuals and their sacrifices for our great nation.
You will be thankful for being an American when you experience this book.
Jeffrey Bryan
white Oak,NC |
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