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 enlarge | Author: Tom Brokaw
Publisher: Random House
Category: Book
List Price: $24.95
Buy Used: $0.01
You Save: $24.94 (100%)
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Avg. Customer Rating:  476 reviews
Sales Rank: 118651
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 432
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.7
Dimensions (in): 9.6 x 6.4 x 1.4
ISBN: 0375502025
Dewey Decimal Number: 940.548173
EAN: 9780375502026
ASIN: 0375502025
Publication Date: November 30, 1998
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 An inspirational portrait of America`s finest people...... August 19, 2008
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
Generation like no other August 3, 2008
0 out of 3 found this review helpful
America how it should be. All liberal idiots should be required to read this to understand patriotism.
every american should read July 24, 2008
this is a great book - every red blooded american should read this no matter his or her party affiliation, politics, race, creed, color or gender - i think brokaw did an excellent job of representing the mix of WWII characters fairly - definitely should be required reading in all high schools
 Great premise but not a literary heavyweight... July 10, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
The Greatest Generation by Tom Brokaw is what I would call a "pop" book. It's written to be a bestseller but not what I would consider a literary heavyweight. While the premise of The Greatest Generation is very noble, the writing was too simplistic.
Tom Brokaw traveled to Normandy, France for both the 40th and 50th anniversaries of the D-Day Invasion. He was especially touched by the stories of the returning veterans, which gave him the idea for this book. Each chapter is devoted to a different person or persons. Most were soldiers, some were famous and some not. He also highlights people who had support roles during World War II. Many opportunities opened up for women as so many men were in uniform. Brokaw also covers the shameful aspects of this period including discrimination of blacks and women by the military as well as the Japanese Internment Camps.
I do believe that the people who lived through World War II are the greatest generation. My parents are included in this group. Having barely survived the Depression, they were then forced to deal with the realities of war. According to Brokaw, they were all honorable, courageous, spiritual, dependable, hardworking, loyal and modest. Although these are noble attributes, Brokaw showcases the best and the brightest. What about the soldiers who returned home with psychological scars? I'm sure many became alcoholics or drug addicts. Other veterans were not easy to live with as they bottled up all their memories and emotions from the war. I just think that in trying to be a cheerleader for this generation, Brokaw is not providing a true picture. It also seems as if The Greatest Generation is written on a 5th grade reading level.
I did learn a few facts by reading The Greatest Generation and many of Brokaw's profiles are interesting. But do not think that this book is a major literary work.
 5 Star Concept Lacking in Execution June 27, 2008
I wanted to love this book and place it on a pedestal. The concept of young adults (such as my father) steeled during the Great Depression, rising to the occasion in World War II to do what needed to be done and often more, and then coming home to better themselves, their families, communities, and country is a wonderful story. If not the Greatest Generation of all, they were among the best that our country can produce. In fact, while the era was tainted by injustice at home, the men and women of this generation were the ones that really led the post-war battles for social equality. Being a baby-boomer myself, Brokaw's book adds a lot of substance and meaning to the adults around during my childhood. I wonder how many of the often distant and stern and sometimes opaque men of my neighborhood and elsewhere were heroes with stories as inspiring as those told by Brokaw. My father never talked much about the War and I wonder what he could tell me of his time in Europe.
In the sense of being a tribute to its subject, "The Greatest Generating" is a success. Unfortunately there is a big "however." Basically, "The Greatest Generation" is a 5 Star concept that fell short in execution. The book consists of many profiles that are several pages in length. Each one generally tells the story of where the person came from, his or her service during World War II, re-entry into civilian society, and how the whole process affected one's life, ambitions, and ideals. Most of these are interesting to read and Brokaw does convey his message that they were people to be admired with something to teach younger generations. However as I progressed through the book, the individual parts of it seemed stronger than the whole. The problem is that the profiles appeared more and more repetitive and superficial as the book went on (I recently read Brokaw's "Boom" and had similar criticisms). Often, just as a subject person became very interesting and his story moving, the book would go on to somebody else. Perhaps Brokaw should have covered few people in more detail, but I am sure he felt overwhelmed by the number of stories to tell. This book is good, just not up to my expectations. Based on a 5 star concept and 3 star execution, I give it 4 Stars.
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