The World War II Memorial: A Grateful Nation Remembers

by Douglas Brinkley, Richard Latoff (Photographer), John S.D. Eisenhower (Foreword by)

In May 2004, the sixtieth anniversary year of D-Day, the nation paid tribute to its World War II heroes with the dedication of a memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. This beautifully illustrated keepsake offers a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of the memorial and its place in American history. Exclusive photographs show the memorial in all stages of development, accompanied by text exploring the symbolism of each part -- the Rainbow Pool, the Wall of Remembrance, the Field of Stars, the Freedom Wall, and the Pillars of the States and Territories. George H. W. Bush, former senator Bob Dole, Yogi Berra, and other veterans share their personal stories, and leading military historians contribute essays on the war efforts at home and abroad. Like the memorial it commemorates, this book pays tribute to the "greatest generation" -- the everyday Americans who rose up to defend our freedom.

Genres: World War II

304 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Douglas Brinkley is a professor of history at Rice University and a contributing editor at Vanity Fair. The Chicago Tribune has dubbed him “America’s new past master.” His most recent books are The Quiet World, The Wilderness Warrior, and The Great Deluge. Six of his books have been selected as New York Times Notable Books of the Year. He lives in Texas with his wife and three children.

Reviews

[Paul Carr]

The first and last parts of this book are the most interesting, exploring the process of designing and creating the National WWII Memorial, through plenty of pictures and details. As an overview of the war itself, the middle half feels a bit out of place, but the context is valuable, and enough personal essays and touches are added to make it more than just another recap.

[Pete Iseppi]

The title of this book is a bit deceiving. 90% of the book is a concise history of WWII, which is not a bad thing. The parts of the book (the beginning and the end) that have to do with the design and construction of the memorial were interesting.

[inhonoredglory]

What an inspiring book! So many little personal stories sprinkled among the general flow of a historical overview. I loved the balance they struck with it. The scenery of the book itself is beautiful: Large photographs and spacious text are paced with colored blocks of personal stories. The organization was good; I like how they had a writeup on the production aspect of the home front. It was also nice to read of the Pacific theater from the Japanese viewpoint as well. I appreciate the fairness and honesty they had in explaining all aspects of the war: how they honestly realized the mixed morality of war and the horrible brutality it inflicts upon humankind, yet also the rightness of fighting for what is right. And even in the section on women in war, they showed women’s growth from and gratitude to the men alongside them. Different things inspired me from this book, though I suppose it is not the book specifically, as the stories it chose to include, the quotes it shared, and the highlight of life it revealed. To me, it was a subtle splash of many of the lessons I could and have learned from World War II – the pain of separation, the beauty of sacrifice, and the incredible simplicity of the goal of victory for a whole nation.