Customer Reviews

The Greatest Generation

5 star:		(173)
4 star:		(95)
3 star:		(73)
2 star:		(74)
1 star:		(76)

 

 

I bought this book for my children. I am so thankful that someone told this story. This Greatest Generation is slowly slipping away. I am a baby boomer and my father [their grandfather] was an Italian immigrant. He was very aware of the freedom he enjoyed in this country and was willing to fight against the tyrrany of a very sick dictator! Their other grandfather fought at Pearl Harbor. Their future wives worked hard here at home for the war effort. Both men thankfully survived to go on and help rebuild this country where their families could grow up safely and with more opportunities than they knew. These dear family members have now passed on. I wanted my children to understand what their grandparents endured and to be very proud of the unselfishness of that Greatest Generation. They didn't have state-of-the-art everything, but they had loyalty, integrity, determination and grit that far overshadowed any doubts or fears. Their example of selflessness was an honorable trait. We should all strive to emulate their noble character.

This very moving book teaches more lessons than I can include in one review. By now most readers probably already know the basic theme - it's the story of a number of representatives of the generation that lived through the depression, fought World War II, and built post-war America. Many of the stories will bring tears to your eyes and make you recognize how far we have fallen from the standard of sacrifice and non-whining patriotism that these people took for granted as standards to live by.

But perhaps I can point out an additional, less-commented-on lesson from the book: Despite the consistent themes of responsibility and duty which underlie almost every account, these people were far more diverse than we today have given them credit for. They were not monolithically conservative, worshipers of the Establishment, traditionally religious, obsessed with making money, conformist gray-flannel people with 2.6 kids and a stay-at-home mom in each family. For example, when the Viet Nam war and the associated 60s protests arrived, the reactions and tolerance levels of these people varied widely. Their values and lifestyles were about as diverse as those we find in our new century.

The one clear difference between that generation and subsequent ones can be summed up in two words: no whining. In the entire book, I don't recall a single individual even mentioning the word "rights" as they applied to himself or herself. No one believed that he or she was entitled to special privileges or to live at the expense of anyone else. No one expected the world to be fair. They took the world as they found it, and made the best of it.

The only failure that the Greatest Generation can be charged with is that they were so successful in building a society where everything came easily. That in turn gave rise to the generations of adult brats who gave this book negative reviews because they couldn't believe some of the UNsolved problems could have been so hard to solve. The life of ease bequeathed to us by the Greatest Generation has obscured the natural hardships of life that made loyalty and hard work a necessary trait for survival. People now have the luxury of sitting back and leisurely lecturing their forebears on how THEY would have done everything better. When we hear (or read) such nonsense, I don't know whether the proper reaction is to laugh condescendingly or to throw up.

I read the book and I've read some of the reviews. The book is an easy read. It is not a literary breakthrough, but a good story about a sometimes forgotten generation. The accusations by reader/reviewers of racism, bias, poor research, poor enunciation are surprising. It is too bad we cannot read and enjoy a book for what it is: A tribute to some of those who fought and preserved our freedom. I didn't expect to read a factual history, detailed analysis, of the period and I am surprised that others did. I enjoyed the stories, the point of view and even the parts that I found too wordy and somewhat boring. But, I guess I'm too tolerant.

Brokaw deserves credit for providing a major tribute to a generation that for too long has been underappreciated. Unfortunately, people in their late 70s and older are just seen -- particularly by Gen Xers and Gen Yers -- as OLD; with most of us having little understanding of the sacrifices and contributions they made towards making America what it is today. I agree with Brokaw that the WWII generation may be the greatest generation in America's history for the various reasons he cites in his book. As a book, however,The Greatest Generation, while interesting, does not fulfill the promise I was anticipating. Basically, what Brokaw has done is provide a series of short, somewhat fluffy chronicles of the lives of WWII veterans from various cross-sections of the United States. While these chronicles, as I said, are interesting, they do not provide enough depth and insight into how these individuals' wartime achievements contributed to what they accomplished after the war. Nonetheless, The Greatest Generation is a book worth reading for the main value it provides -- making each of the post-WWII generations understand and appreciate better a generation which, sadly, will not be with us for too much longer.

I so wanted to enjoy this book. My grandparents, people I love dearly, are part of this "Greatest Generation" so it was with great enthusiasm that I read this book. In my mind it would be a sort of homage to them. Unfortunately, I am still struggling to get past the poor writing. Obviously, Brokaw is a journalist and not a writer, but I expected that even he would be able to spin a compelling collection of stories that would make me (someone who actually already believes that they are) see this generation as being "the greatest." Sadly, Tom, it takes more than simply calling them that. I found myself wishing I could have a dollar for each time Brokaw slapped a superlative on some poorly told tale and expected me to come out feeling that these individuals were the best of the best. I am certain that there are stories out there (and maybe even some that were in the book) that would answer the promise of the book's title. Unfortunately, Brokaw (1) cannot write, and (2) is so self-important that he thought just telling me I should admire this generation would be enough. These stories should have told themselves. They did not. I was sorely disappointed.

I am only 17, but my Grandfather fought in WWII. A book like this is very rare. As I have learned it's very hard for veterans to talk about their experiences. And, yes, this generation is slipping away from us and to have thier experiences written down for other, future generations to read is wonderful.

This incredible book made me take a good long look at myself and my generation, known as Generation X. Tom Brokaw's re-introduction of the aptly named "Greatest Generation" to us young people was long overdue. If only the teenagers today could understand what our Grandparents did for all of us. As I have just really found out. I read this book voraciously, and found myself in tears, but could never put it down. As a matter of fact, I felt that twinge of sadness as I found myself at the last page. I am purchasing three more copies to send to my younger cousins. I hope they get as much from it as I did. An incredible book, which will send me into the new millenium with a greater understanding of how America has changed in a mere 60 years.

As a baby boomer I have greatly bennificated from the sacrifaces of the World War II generation. Coming of age during the Great Depression and going straight into the bloodiest war in history,this generation had every right to turn its back on everything. Instead,after beating Nazi Germany and Japan they built a strong economy,laid the basis for the 40 year victory in the Cold War,and now in retirement,they continue to do public service. I hate to think what would have happened if this would have fallen on my generation. THANKS TO THE WORLD WAR II GENERATION FOR EVERYTHING WE HAVE TODAY.

This book is a must read for the generations that followed. The stories show us that we are responsable for our own action and no one else. Here was a generation that came from nothing, fought a horrible war and came home to make our country what it is today. They really were the Greatest Generation. I feel that this book is so inspiring that it should be on every students reading list.

I found this book to be disappointing. I agree with Tom Brokaw's premise that the World War II generation may be the greatest in American history, and for the reasons he cites. It is a pity that he doesn't follow through with a book that really proves his argument. What Brokaw gives the reader is a series of brief, fluffy profiles of the lives of World War II veterans from many walks of life. These stories are interesting as far as they go; unfortunately, Brokaw doesn't delve deep enough to support the main contention of his book. He seems to have concentrated on individual achievements during the war (which were inarguably outstanding), but gave relatively short shrift to his subjects' postwar achievements (which to me should have been the essential proof of Brokaw's overall premise. After all, many veterans who served in the decades since World War II have also become community leaders, doctors, lawyers, engineers, and politicians; it may be fairly argued that many of their achievements, while not yet fully tested in the crucible of history, will prove as significant as those of the generation Brokaw writes about). I also was left questioning how careful the author was in selecting the subjects about which he wrote. It seemed many of his selections were based on his own personal knowledge of the people he chronicled. Perhaps, with more research, he could have found subjects whose achievements after the war provided better support for his argument.

Like other reviewers, I found the author's writing to be at best average. He writes very much like he speaks; as a long-time viewer of NBC Nightly News, I found myself almost able to hear Brokaw's voice as I read along.

"The Greatest Generation" is a book which I feel has great potential left unfulfilled. It could have been a towering chronicle of the lives of some genuine American heroes, but falls short due to obviously inadequate research and a lack of focus. Its one major redeeming feature is that it has made generations of Americans since World War II understand better, and respect more, the people whose sacrifices during the war really did change the second half of the twentieth century. In doing that, this book does serve an admirable purpose.