The Greatest Generation, Tom Brokaw. (Hardcover 0375502025) Used Book available for Swap

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The Greatest Generation
Author: Tom Brokaw

"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 v... more »eterans 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.

ISBN-13: 9780375502026
ISBN-10: 0375502025
Publication Date: 11/30/1998
Pages: 432
Rating:

Currently 3.8/5 Stars.

132

3.8 stars, based on 132 ratings

Publisher: Random House
Book Type: Hardcover
Other Versions: Paperback, Audio Cassette, Audio CD
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

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Top Member Book Reviews

Currently 0/5 Stars.

Kelly (kelly-bookworm) - Yarmouth, ME reviewed The Greatest Generation on 2/5/2010 + 16 more book reviews

1 member(s) found this review helpful.

Incredibly disappointing. The whole book is a collection of 2-3 page life stories: how do you sum up oneâ€™s life in 2-3 pages? A very small portion of each story is dedicated to the individualsâ€™ war careers/accomplishments and the rest runs on like an obituary or an â€œabout meâ€ portion of an introduction speech. I never got a full picture of who the individual was and HOW he/she shaped America. Fewer featured people and more time spent on each one is neededâ€¦ I couldnâ€™t even read the entire book, it was so boring.

Currently 4/5 Stars.

Diane B. (cyber-librarian) - NC reviewed The Greatest Generation on 8/12/2007

1 member(s) found this review helpful.

It was very interesting to hear so many veterans' stories about their time in WW II. For so many years there was nothing said. I think now the current generation is interested and the past generation is willing to talk about how they conquered those difficult days in their lives. Along with the veterans, are stories of the wives they left behind, the minority groups (women, blacks, Indian and Japanese) struggles and even some famous people who served in the war.

Currently 4/5 Stars.

Jessica T. (jessicatok) reviewed The Greatest Generation on 5/7/2007 + 29 more book reviews

1 member(s) found this review helpful.

Excellent book, covers many different perspectives fairly. At the time it came out, it was a good reminder of the WWII generation. It stands next to Studs Terkel's "The Good War," and is a must-read for fans of history. It's quite a bit shorter than Terkel's book, for those who are not looking for a massive oral history lesson.

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Currently 5/5 Stars.

Donna W. (shooter38) reviewed The Greatest Generation on 3/4/2008 + 60 more book reviews

This is a very good book. It helped me to understand why I believe what I believe and gave me new respect and love for my parents. My father was in the navy in WW11.

Currently 0/5 Stars.

Coralie M. (Coralie) reviewed The Greatest Generation on 4/12/2007 + 13 more book reviews

This was a good book. The author interviewed people about their experiences living through World War II, soldiers, and their wives, and women who served in the war as nurses or support staff.

Currently 4.5/5 Stars.

Joan L. reviewed The Greatest Generation on 7/21/2006 + 47 more book reviews

Wonderful story

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