Author: Tom Brockaw
Genre: History/Memoir
Pages (words): 432 (96,020)
Readability: 10.1
Rating (out of 5 stars): ***1/2
Reviewed by: Ben
Description: The Greatest Generation is about the men and women who were born in the roaring 20's, grew up in the Depression 30's, fought in WWII, and then returned home to found families and begin the most prosperous period of our nation's history. Brockaw believes that this was the greatest generation of Americans ever. Brockaw tells the story of a few of these men and women, mostly focusing on the war and the years afterward.
Thoughts: I really enjoyed the stories of these men and women, how they survived the war, and what they did after returning home to try to forget the past and make up for lost time. While Brockaw is obviously making a huge generalization by claiming that the men and women who lived through WWII were the greatest generation of Americans ever, it's hard to refute his claim. Doesn't it seem like we've lost something since then? Maybe that something is a sense of duty and responsibility, or maybe it's a sense of unity. I'm not sure, but I wish we had it back. It was surprisingly refreshing to hear about the stories of heroism as well as the people (both on the home front and abroad) who just quietly did their jobs. Perhaps it takes a calamity as large as WWII to force a nation to come together like that, or perhaps Brockaw and the rest of us are looking back through history with rose-colored glasses. Whatever the case may be, I really enjoyed reading these stories and learning from the brave people who have gone before me.
Disclaimer: There are a few "war" words, but nothing serious. Also, I listened to the audio version of this book, which is unfortunately abridged down to just 3 CDs, so there is a large chunk that I haven't read.
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