The Greatest Generation

Rating:
Summary: Enduring saga....
Review: So I purchased this book for my about to be 80-year old father, who did his tour of duty in Normandy, and elsewhere. It's this veteran's opinion that will count -- but I kept wishing that the book had been written and had the voice of Walter Cronkite whose chronicles of WWII were an indelible memory and part of my childhood. I bet even Tom Brokaw would nod "yes" in agreement to that....

Rating:
Summary: surprising inaccuracies
Review: An interesting concept containing a series of stumbling blocks that impede the reader's progress down the Brokaw path. Examples: In dealing with both the Womens Army Corps (WAC) and the United States Army Air Corps, Brokaw consistently mis-names the units. The Army Air Corps was NOT the Army Air Force. The WAC began with the WAAC - Womens Army Auxillary Corps- which converted (with the necessity of WAAC members being sworn into the Army), and became the Womens Army Corps. Brokaw consistently and incorrectly refers to it as the WACs -both in the text and in the index on page 412 of the book. I also wondered how the editor had managed to ignore the structure of a sentence on page 190... "Lieutenent Settle spent the rest of the war supervising medical technicians at the hospital with no difficulties." My flow of reading was too often impeded by technical error.

Rating:
Summary: Truly the "mother of all generations!"
Review: This book is long overdue. It should be required reading in classrooms all across this country. The younger generations need to know what sacrifices were made to give them the life they now live and appreciate it more and not take it for granted. If we had another world war right now we would lose because our young people don't have what it takes to be responsible and fight for a common goal.

Rating:
Summary: Great tribute to a deserving generation
Review: As my father noted, (he's a WW II veteran of the Third Division who was in Africa, Italy and France), no mention was made in the book of the Third Division, which had more casualties, saw more combat and won more Congressional Medals of Honor than the Big Red. This is a glaring omission, which Mr. Brokaw should correct in the next edition. Please forward this critique to Mr. Brokaw. Many thanks.

Rating:
Summary: This book was thought-provoking and informative.
Review: I read this book and finally began to understand all the things that my dad would never talk about concerning the war. The stories are well written and thought provoking. The very fact that these people came home and did their best to be good citizens and make good lives without complaining speaks volumes about that generation. Now we saw soldiers crying about having to leave their families during Desert Storm. Do we think it was any easier for the generation during WWII? This book shows us how "me centered" we are. Another thing, now soldiers came back from the Viet Nam or Desert Storm wars and blame everything on their military experience. The WWII generation sucked it up and went on with their lives. They got over it. Makes me sort of ashamed of the way my generation deals with life experiences.

Rating:
Summary: Not The Greatest, But, A Very Good Generation.
Review: Brokaw wouldn't sell many books with that title so he had to fog it in a bit. Yes, my parents generation gave willingly and sacrificed much. They had a definition of what the words duty, honor and commitment meant more than my generation does and, I fear, more than my children's generation.

However, the lads who risked it all back in 1776 were our greatest generation. No other one even comes close. These were wealthy men who could have settled with The Crown and remained rich. But, they didn't. They risked it all for the sake of an idea. Then, made that idea work better and stronger than any society in the history of the world. Adams, Jefferson, Washington, etc. They were our Greatest Generation.

Rating:
Summary: "A great insite into this generation's future!"
Review: The Greatest Generation is a fabulous piece of work which transports the reader back to the 1940s and then goes on to show how it's survivors went on to influence our world. Upon completion of the book I began to think, how will my generation affect the world?

Rating:
Summary: Opportunistic, relentlessly sentimental grab for elderbucks.
Review: Just in time, you might say, Tom Brokaw has produced the perfect bathroom reader for the older generation. A collection of short takes on individual lives that started out in WWII and went well from there, one can sit and read until drowned in sugar. The message is clear: this is the generation that fought the war, came home heroes, set up shop and became successful at everything. Available in large print and on cassette, it is targeted for the generation that, having putatively done it all, now want to sit and admire themselves.

I would like to offer a modest corrective: this is the generation that brought us fallout shelters, fast food, theme parks, the Vietnam war--just a little one for the kids?--and the edsel. Furthermore, as the saying goes, they don't get it: They don't get it about ecology; they don't get it about population control; they don't get it about gays in the military; they don't get it about the importance of innercity kids, they don't get bluejeans, t-shirts, or the Rolling Stones. I am glad these people had good lives, of course, but I came a little later (1945) and I live in a different world from them. I can't wait for the day when I am no longer expected to vote for a WWII hero for President. We don't have to worry about Brokaw's book: it will reach its constuentcy and they will keep it handy. If they wanted to sell it to me, it would be on a CD.

Rating:
Summary: The younger generation should read this book!
Review: After reading this book, I have more appreciation for my Grandparents generation and what the went through to survive and to build this country up to what it is today. Growing up in the 1980s and 1990s, you see a lot of waste and disregard for human beings. My generation has never been in a major war or anything close to resembling that of the Depression. We have all grown up in the "Me" generation and have had the pleasure of unbelieveable growth in our economy. At the same time we have regressed back to the days of the pre-1960s with "Political Correctness" - it has divided us more into groups instead of bringing us together as "Americans".

Today, we do not understand the meaning of suffering. If we get into trouble we go to the Gov't (Welfare, bankruptcy, unemployment insurance, etc.) No one takes responsiblity for their own actions, there is always an excuse. People seem to give up today and not fight - an example of that is shown by the high number of divorces. It is easier to give up. If we allow ourselves to stay in this downward spiral, we will end up like Russia. We are already starting to slip - China espionage.

We need to take the ideals of this generation and develop our children to have the same morals, ethics, integrity or however you want to state it, as "most" of these people in this book. If we don't we will continue to regress as a society.

This book taught me that we should not feel sorry for ourselves, we have to work hard and make things happen, and we have to help those who cannot help themselves. However, we cannot police the world!

Rating:
Summary: He caused me to ponder
Review: I really don't like Tom Brokaw, the NBC News Anchorman. Although I have watched his career for more than 30 years, and recognized early on that he was going to one day occupy the top seat of his profession, I never really liked him. I remember hearing bits and pieces of his character and personal life over the years. Only two things are remembered of him at the moment; he likes the outdoors, and he is from South Dakota. Two things he has going for him. But I really don't like him.

I was sent a package last Christmas. One I had been looking forward to receiving. Lots of good stuff in the package, and an unexpected item. In the bottom of the package was a book; "The Greatest Generation", and yes, you guessed it; Tom Brokaw wrote it. At least it was a first edition. Oddly enough, I had heard about this book. Some even said it was a pretty good read. That it paid tribute to a generation and a people that largely go about their business without accolades. Only now is their work being recognized. Only now are the sacrifices they made coming to the full realization of the generations that have come after them. So I decided to give Tom Brokaw a chance to impress me. Haltingly, I admit that I was somewhat impressed. By presenting this book to the public, Tom Brokaw has accomplished something of far greater value than to impress me, or anyone else, for that matter. What he did do was trigger the mechanisms that start us on the path of pondering. I have to give him that, even though I don't really like him.

When I was finished with "The Greatest Generation", I put the book down and just stared at the air for a time. Slowly and ever so surely, thoughts of people exactly like those he wrote about in his book began to flow through my consciousness. A smile came to my face. Memories of the sweetest sort broadened the smile. And even though I was smiling, sometimes the smile was a sad one. Many of those helping to create the memories now flowing through me were gone. Dead. Their voices never to be heard again; their firm handshake never to be felt again; the probing look of their eyes, gone forever. No longer am I able to smell the rich smells of grandma's kitchen. Nor hear the big belly laugh of my grandfather. I am very pleased Tom Brokaw reminded me of their contributions, even though I don't like him very much.

"The Greatest Generation" is an easy book to read. It oft-times fills you with pride when acknowledging the deeds and sacrifices of others. Of those that came before us. They did what they did because of a solid value system. A universal belief that right, equals might and will, no matter what it takes, be the victor, claiming the right to hoist the flag of human dignity, up the petard.

I don't have to like Tom Brokaw to thank him for causing me to ponder.