The Greatest Generation
by Tom Brokaw
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It may be debatable that the young Americans who served during WWII comprise the greatest generation, but there are several things that I can wholeheartedly agree with Brokaw on. That is, they exhibited undaunted “duty, honor, economy, courage, service, love of family and country, and, above all, responsibility for oneself.”
In profile after profile – of which there are scores from across gender, ethnic, and class lines – Brokaw gives us an intimate glimpse into the lives of those th...more
In profile after profile – of which there are scores from across gender, ethnic, and class lines – Brokaw gives us an intimate glimpse into the lives of those th...more
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Read in January, 2003
recommends it for:
adults
I read this book to more fully comprehend what my own parents experienced by going through World War II. My dad was drafted into the Army near the end of the war and served about a year and a half in Germany, helping to rebuild and restore. While Dad was overseas (that's what my parents always called it--overseas), my Mom and her two little kids lived in a basement apartment in Nevada with her married sister and two little kids while the sister's husband was also serving in the military! The ...more
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Read in June, 2004
The untold stories of the men and women of World War II are endless. Young men, only boys really, had to endure hardships and pain that typically survive only in nightmares. But those times of distress, war and adversity produce the noblest tales of heroism, courage and bravery—albeit at a high price. Brokaw, an apparent WWII armchair historian, recorded and collated the anecdotes of veterans of all flavors. He appropriately included representation of every major category of people, from t...more
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Read in January, 2008
recommends it for:
everyone
I don't know how to sum up this book without first saying that it was excellent. Tom Brokaw, through a series of mini-biographies, portrays what really was the greatest generation of Americans. It was fascinating to read about the lives of my (our) grandparents' generation, one that seems so distant and antipodal to ours, one that is almost extinct. Theirs is the story of selflessness, modesty, sacrifice, prudence, and morals. They never asked for anything they wanted but when they needed someth...more
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Because Greatest Generation is a collection of short interviews with WWII survivors and/or their families & friends, this book is the kind you can easily put down and pick up again.
Since my parents were of this generation, I can say that Tom Brokaw has accurately described their values and goals as I remember. They were a generation who didn’t question hard work, expect an extravagant lifestyle, and felt an enormous sense of loyalty to their country. They lived through the Depression...more
Since my parents were of this generation, I can say that Tom Brokaw has accurately described their values and goals as I remember. They were a generation who didn’t question hard work, expect an extravagant lifestyle, and felt an enormous sense of loyalty to their country. They lived through the Depression...more
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Read in May, 2007
To me, this book was pretty interesting. The book tells different peoples' stories on how life was for them growing up as part of the World War II generation. It talks about what these people were doing prior to the war, during the war, and after the war. People tell how the war changed their lives, etc. For example, the book has stories from various women, famous people, minorities, etc. It describes how life was for these people prior to the war, during the war, and how the war affected t...more
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Read in November, 2007
recommends it for:
everyone
my friend Joyce loaned me this book and I am having a hard time putting it down.. I have always been interested in WWII and this book allows a glimpse into the lives of the men and women who eagerly served their country either here or abroad. one thing I find so entrancing are the individual life stories. It starts with where they were in their lives when the war was raging, what was going on in our country at that time and before, how they participated and what happened to them after the war ...more
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Read in May, 2008
This book was inspiring, but not engaging - - I finished it because I can NOT leave books unfinished. Tom Brokaw is a talented and gifted journalist, but as an author, doesn't quite draw you in. All of the stories are told so briefly that you hardly get a chance to love any of the subjects, although the principles of the WWII generation come across loud and clear, and I wish they had endured. All of the experiences of these WWII survivors radiate one common cry for the one thing that they learne...more
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Read in September, 2007
This book is filled with vignettes of the lives of people who lived during WWII. I was very interested in learning how the experiences of the depression and the realities of a brutal war shaped the men and women of this generation. It really seems to have brought about a collective mind set to make the world a better place. These men and women seemed to have made the most of their lives. They worked hard at their jobs, often starting their own businesses and greatly changing the financial future...more
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Read in February, 2004
The subject matter gets 5 stars, its just that Brokaw isn't as good as so many of the professional authors who have written about this era and war (WW2). This book tells the stories of real people who served in the war, and then came back home and went to work (sometimes literally the next day) and raised their families like nothing had ever happened. All grandchildren and great grandchildren of this generation should probably read this book so that none of us ever forget what they did for us ...more
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Read in January, 2000
Enjoyed reading the stories of those before us. I think they were great but the pedestal needs to come down slightly. People of our generations need to know that we can aspire to be great like them and that there are some great people in our times too. What they had and did is not unattainable. They were men and women just like us. They just chose to do good with there lives. We can do this same thing with our lives and in our circumstances. The romance of a bygone era is counter producti...more
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Read in January, 2001
Tom Brokaw captured the heart and truth of this period in history. Whether we realize it or not, our lives as baby boomers were shaped by what happened to our parents and grandparents during the war. He gives us the background to understand their values, their strengths, and weaknesses.
Something about that 40th, and then the 50th anniversary caused soldiers to open up, to share the awful details of that time. If you had a father or a grandfather who would not talk about what happened &quo...more
Something about that 40th, and then the 50th anniversary caused soldiers to open up, to share the awful details of that time. If you had a father or a grandfather who would not talk about what happened &quo...more
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Read in February, 2005
I loved this book. It was a lot more entertaining than I though it might be, while still getting the facts and message across loud and clear. There was a greatest generation and after reading about some of the people it belonged to....I wanted to be a part of it. Reading the book made me feel almost as if I was....and made me remember my grandfather and love him even more. Knowing what your grandparents went through, (they often won't say too much about those days), really puts things in a new p...more
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Read in June, 2008
Starts off great and ends slow. Good read about the strength and turmoil of a generation, especially as read it while living in Germany. I do believe there are more great generations out there - we just haven't reflected back on the most recent yet to see their common threads. Excellent example is that of Tim Russert who I learned just a few minutes ago passed away. He exemplified the traits attributed to great Americans and those in general who give back, take responsibility and work to mak...more
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Read in November, 2007
The stories are not only inspiring but also informative and fun. If your parents or grandparents are from the generation, I think you'll especially like it.
There are stories of common and not so common men and women. Both are interesting but, on the celebrity side, I didn't know Julia Child was a spy and Art Buchwald a Marine.
We gave this book to my father, a member of that generation, on Father's Day in 1999. He died July 6 that year. It still has his bookmark in it at page 158.
There are stories of common and not so common men and women. Both are interesting but, on the celebrity side, I didn't know Julia Child was a spy and Art Buchwald a Marine.
We gave this book to my father, a member of that generation, on Father's Day in 1999. He died July 6 that year. It still has his bookmark in it at page 158.
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Read in December, 2007
I would recommend this book for anyone remotely interested in history or if they have an older person from the WWII era that they care about. It is a collection of stories from people who grew up in the depression era and enlisted or somehow served in WWII. It makes you realize how lucky you are to not have to make the choices or sacrifices that some of these people had to make and gives perspective to some of the things we take for granted that other people fought for us to have.
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Read in October, 2007
This is one of the most compelling books on WWII that I've read in a long time. It's basically a bunch of snipets of various Americans in their roles during the war. Tom Brokaw clearly has a passion for bring to life the average American's experience in this time--I typically don't cry when reading, but I found myself tearing up reading these stories. A must read for anyone interested in this time period and learning the "old-school" way of doing research for journalism.
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Read in May, 2008
This was one of the few books I didn't get a chance to read in my old book club. Now it is the One Book Lexington book this year...so I'm going to try and fit it in this time around.
Now that I have finished the book: I agree with Tammy's review of it. A lot of short peeks into different lives. You could pick up the book and read the introductory chapters and then choose a couple chapters of people that look interesting to you and call it good and done.
Now that I have finished the book: I agree with Tammy's review of it. A lot of short peeks into different lives. You could pick up the book and read the introductory chapters and then choose a couple chapters of people that look interesting to you and call it good and done.
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Read in February, 2006
recommends it for:
Everyone
Stories of individual men and women, the story of of a generation, America's citizen heroes and heroines who came of age during the Great Depression and The Second World War and who went on to build modern America. Should be required reading for the so-called "me generation" who have no clue what sacrifice is- sorry I'm generalizing, but most of whom have no clue what their grandparents and great-grandparents went through.
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Read in February, 2008
Is it weird that I liked the book after this one (The Greatest Generation Speaks) better than this one? The second book made me tear up a few times listening to the words of the pople who experienced it all. This one had some fascinating stories, but Tom Brokaw's yammering on about how much better they were than every generation before and after every chance he got became tiresome at times and stodgy even more often.
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