Rating: 
Summary: Amazing
Review: I honestly can not say enough about this book. I like reading war/history books anyway, but this one was tops. The book is well written. Flags of Our Fathers really makes you think about what some of our soldiers went through. I could not put it down. I always needed to know what happened next. I hope they make this one into a movie.
Rating:
Summary: Hauntingly beautiful
Review: This book will stay with me forever...I only wish there was universal understanding of what actually happens to the everyday soldier during war. These boys and their stories took me from joy to deep sorrow and near nausea at the horrors inflicted on them during the Iwo Jima battles. I strongly recommend this book be part of high school history courses and on in to colleges. The respect these boys and men deserve is enormous.
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Summary: A 31 year old Female's review on Flags of Our Fathers
Review: Without a doubt, the best book I've ever read. Not only does this book capture the history of Iwa Jima during W.W. II, it also uncovers the human soal. If you are interested in W.W. II history, this is a must read. This book not only teaches historically, it also exposes the spirit. I can't say enough good things about this book and I'm looking forward to reading it again. Thanks, Mr. Bradly, for writting such good work.
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Summary: POWERFUL! SEMPER-FI!
Review: Flags of Our Fathers is one of the most moving (if not the most moving) books I have ever read. James Bradley, who started researching the story of his father's participation in the battle (his father was one of the six men in the famous photo of the flag rasing), ended up finding out more about it then he thought he would. His research would lead him on a journey across the country and across the world to Iwo itself. He would learn the meaning of honor, courage, and committment. He would also understand why the US Marines are the best of the best.Bradley frames the story nicely by starting off in the present; James and his family (including his mother) have travelled to Iwo Jima to place a plaque on Mount Suribachi. From here he goes back in time, to an America which is no more. An America where baseball is the national pasttime and NBC has two radio networks. Where children respect and honor their parents. It is a country which although not as rich as it is today, was rich in many other ways. He describes the life the 6 boys led prior to their entry into the Corps. Before long you feel as close to these 6 men as you would to your own brothers. You come to love Ira Hayes, a Pima Indian for his stoic silence and strenght. You believe, as the others did, in the leadership of Mike Strank, a "marine's Marine." Franklin Soulsey, a good natured boy from Kentucky who always has a smile on his face. The book really does an amazing job with the description of the battle for Iwo. You are there along side the Marines as they fight for their lives against an enemy who is fighting to the death; You are alongside Bradley as he attempts to save as many lives as he possibly can in this "hell on earth." You will feel the fear as the unseen enemy drops Marine after Marine and the casualties mount. You come to understand that, as Admiral Halsey said "There are no great men. Just great challenges which ordinary men, out of necessity, are forced by circumstances to meet." These most ordinary of American boys and their fellow Marines met that challenge. They ALL are heroes. None of the survivors ever truly felt like heroes. They couldn't understand why people thought they were great for the simple act of raising a flag on a mountain on some far away island. We all understand that it wasn't that event which made them great. It was their participation in the great crusade that was World War Two. This powerful novel should be read by everyone.
Rating: 
Summary: Dear Grandpa,
Review: If there is only one reason to read this book it is the letter to Alison Bradley's grandpa, John Bradley. This book is 353 pages of great story and fact telling that bring Iwo Jima and the flag raisers to life. It was not until page 352 when I read Alison's letter to her deceased grandpa that the entire story comes together and you feel the heart of a man, a family, and a nation that raised a flag on Iwo Jima.
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Summary: Thank you Mr. Bradley
Review: You do your father and the other Marines/Corpsmen who fought on Iwo great honor. Time, as we know, has a way of making us forget the sacrifices made by gallant Americans. Your book brings the past back and makes the reader aware that freedom is never free. Twenty five years ago, I remember a 14 foot orange run-about out on local waters. It was named Iwo-Jima. I remember the older gentleman waving. At the time, the boat's name had little significance. Now, I'm in aware of this man's sacrifice. Sacrifice for one another. What one learns from reading Flags is that men fight for the love of each other and not for something abstract. The book is a must read. It will cause intense respect and sadness for the "kids" whom laid down their lives for each other.
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Summary: You got it right - Simple as that
Review: This is by far one of the most facinating books I have ever read. James Bradley has paid a tribute like I have never encountered to our nation, the US Marine Corps, and most importantly his father. I will say this to Mr. Bradley, there is no doubt that your Father would approve of this work, you made me understand what your father knew, what all veterans of Iwo Jima knew, but what no one would stop long enough to listen too and understand. If Doc Bradley read this book, he would close the cover at the end and say, "He got it right, its as simple as that".
Rating:
Summary: Iwo, sure. And a lot more.
Review: The collection of reader-reviews of FLAGS says more than I can about this book. Let me just ask that you not put it off . . . please read this book now. The truth is, while this magnificent account of the gallantry of men, the price of freedom and the horrors of war will rivet your attention like nothing else you have ever read, this book also, without perhaps intending to, is about the sanctity of life, and it deserves your attention. It is my privilege to annually host the Liversedge Ceremony on the Saturday nearest the February 23 anniversary of the flagraising. This year's ceremony will be at 11:00 a.m. Saturday Feb. 24th at Giannini's Restaurant, on Highway 88 in Pine Grove, Amador County, California, eight miles east of Jackson, 60 miles southeast of Sacramento. The ceremony was conceived 15 years ago by Iwo veteran John Lovell, who recently passed away. The ceremony is named in honor of Harry B. Liversedge, commander of the 28th Marine Regiment at Iwo and native of Amador County. It was Liversedge's men who raised the flag. Colonel Liversedge is given prominent mention in FLAGS, as well he should. The Liversedge Ceremony is a celebration of the Great American Spirit and features speeches, a Marine Color Guard and a great lunch. Good feelings all around. It's a beautiful setting in the forest at the 3500 ft. level of the Sierra Nevada. You are invited. If you attend, you will meet a few Iwo vets. Last year's keynote speaker, Brig. Gen. Keith J. Stalder, Asst. Wing Commander, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, Miramar, paused in his brillant account of the battle for Iwo Jima and observed, "You know, the Marine Corps has a way of making you afraid. Not afraid of battle, but afraid of not doing your job." This is as good an explanation as any for how the Marines were able to accomplish the obviously impossible on Iwo Jima. Had this battle been in Europe, it would likely be the most well-known American battle of WWII. The Liversedge Scholarship Program is in its fourth year and is one of the prized local scholarships for graduating high school seniors. This, in a very small and humble way, is what we here in Amador County are doing to memoralize those gallant Americans of Iwo Jima. For those of you previously not familiar with the Battle of Iwo Jima Island, and the necessity of conquering it, buckle in before you read this book.
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Summary: Flags of Our Fathers should be read by all...
Review: This book was amazing. Every single American should read this book. The sacrifices made by the Marines at Iwo should never be forgotten.
Rating:
Summary: A must read for every young person in America today
Review: Never before has a book had such an impact on the way I view the world, my place in it, and the most unified and noble generation America has ever known. I am far from a history buff and cannot even say I'd ever read/heard much more than a casual mention of Iwo Jima in high school. Drawn to this book simply by it's cover, I quickly found myself unable to put it down. It presents not only a detailed account of a grueling 30+ days of war, but more importantly, does it in such a way that it reads like great fiction. It was brutally honest and just gruesome enough to get the point across. I constantly had to remind myself that the characters I was hoping and fearing for were real men, and their heroic deeds were far from fiction. I now have a more full comprehension of what "American Pride" really means- and a newfound respect for the 'old men' who can't believe what "us kids" are doing to this country. They shored up the foundations of the freedom we now take for granted. Read this book. Then send copies to your high school/college-aged kids.
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