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Summary: An Awesome Book about the Flagraising
Review: This is one of those perfect books. Perfectly written by the son of the longest surviving flagraiser of the six soldiers in The Photograph. I had no idea what Iwo Jima was until I read this book. The sacrifices our soldiers made are unbelievable. Books like this give me an understanding of service that makes me cry like a baby during 4th of July parades when the veterans go by. Victors, by Stephen Ambrose, is a similar and powerful book about the invasion at Normandy and the end of the war in Europe. I thought I'd never read a WWII book as good as this, but Flags of Our Fathers does the job. Stephen Ambrose comments very positively on Flags, a huge endorsement, and well-deserved. I'm not ex-military so it gave me an appreciation of what Marines go through. I loved this book and highly recommend it.
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Summary: Gut wrenching!
Review: What a great book! James Bradley's father would be extremely proud of his book. One can almost feel himself in the action. The mortars, grenades and flak flying all around. Truly a fabulous book dedicated to fabulous, wonderful men. It is the story of the most famous photograph ever taken, but no one ever asks what happened to the men in it. Very touching. Superb.
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Summary: A book for all Americans
Review: I ordered this book after seeing it listed as a #1 read while in New York this summer, thinking that my husband, whose father fought in Guadacanal, would enjoy it. I gradually read the book "out from under him" because the writing was smooth and transistional, unlike other war books I've attempted. I learned a multitude of information about the Pacific war and found myself fascinated by the stories of the 6 men who raised the flag at Iowa Jima. Having visited the memorial as a twenty-something, I now find myself wanting to revisit it again to honor all of the soldiers who died in such a heroic effort to win this small island in the Pacific. If you appreciate your freedom, you will most certainly enjoy this book.
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Summary: A pulitzer prize winning story
Review: I bought this book at the airport in Dayton, Ohio on the way home from attending the reunion of my army unit that I was in Vietnam with in 1966. Flags of Our Fathers is a spell binding page turner that I couldn't put down. Many of the stories about the combat and terror endured by those marines on Iwo Jima brought tears to my eyes. The history of the six flag raisers is very well written and very interesting. Over a quarter of the Medal of Honors received by the marines during WWII were received during the 36 days of fighting on Iwo Jima. It was the largest and longest sustained battle of WWII. The authors did a fabulous job of story telling. I agree with Stephen Ambrose in his saying that it was the best combat book he ever read. It is the best non-fiction book I have ever read. It has everything, hero's, villans, sadness, tragedy, excitement, happiness. Every human emotion from one end of the spectrum to the other will be experienced by reading this book. On Iwo Jima, uncommon valor was a common occurence among those marines who fought there, many of whom died there. This book is a must read and it makes me more appreciative of the liberties I enjoy today because of those marines and all of the combat veterans of WWII. I saw extensive combat for a year with the army in Vietnam, but it pales in comparison to what those marines endured for 36 days in Feb 1945. Jim Husing Vietnam Veteran
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Summary: A must-read for anyone with ties to the Marine Corps or Navy
Review: I picked this book up as a last-minute purchase before getting on a plane. By the time I landed, I was so into the book that I sat at my arrival gate for 30 minutes so I could keep reading the book. Not only does Bradley tell the story of the battle for Iwo Jima, he tells how each of the flag raiser came to be on the island, how they grew up, how they lived and how they died. A tragic story but one that will touch any Marine or Corpsman.
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Summary: A wonderful book, sure to become a classic
Review: This wonderful book tells an important story with clean prose and quiet passion. Most books fade from the memory in time. Not this one. This book will win the Pulitzer this year and grow to become an American Classic. Do yourself a favor, read it.
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Summary: Just an ordinary citizen
Review: No relatives of mine served in WWII. I am in my 30s and never served a day of my life in the military. I have always just had a deep and profound respect for the price paid for my freedom as an American. The stories told in this book at least doubles that respect. I sat in stunned silence, tears and reflection for 10 minutes after reading the last page. Mere words don't pay adequate homage to the people described in this book, from the flagraisers to those who never left Iwo Jima. Do yourself a favor as an American and read this book as soon as possible. Thanks, Mr. Bradley.
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Summary: All students need to read this
Review: A relative who was in the Navy during WWII as a Public Information Officer was acquainted with the photographer, Joe Rosenthal, who gave him an autographed original of his famous photo of the Marines raising the flag on Mt. Suribachi (at the time he had very little idea how famous the photo would become). A few years ago, when it was passed along to me I took it to a restoration place to have it cleaned and museum-mounted for framing. The store was busy, and a young girl with everything on her face pierced waited on me. I explained that I wanted museum restoration work done on a photo, and she said "Let me see it." I pulled it out of the envelope, and she said "That's so old--why don't you just have it copied?" The man standing next to me at the counter looked over, gasped, and said "Girlie, if she wanted a copy, she'd cut it out of Life Magazine." Next thing I know, everybody in the store was looking at it, wanting to touch it, each with a story about how WWII touched them personally. Finally the manager took my order, gingerly placing the photo in a special protective envelope. All the time, the pierced gum-chewer just looked on as if to think "It's just an old, yellowed photo." Well, honey, it's not just an old, yellowed photo--it's a piece of history, and without those men in that picture and millions others like them, you wouldn't be able to pierce all your body parts and act insolent toward adults. I'm not an old fogey, either--I'm 40, and I bought this book and was awed by it. I bought it for my brother, a former Marine and Vietnam veteran, and he cried all the way through it. It should be required reading in every school in America. And by the way, the restoration work on the photo is excellent, and the restorer proudly displayed the photo on the wall until I could get over there to pick it up. The manager told me everybody who came in stopped and silently gazed at the photo--it is such a powerful image and this book makes it even more powerful by making the figures in it human beings we should all love, care for, and thank.
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Summary: my review
Review: everyone's obsessed with the photo. who doesn't like it? it expresses valor and makes you feel proud to be an american citizen. but what's the true story behind the picture? that is what is revealed in flags of our fathers. read the book...it's very good.
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Summary: Understanding the Enigma
Review: This is more of a note to the author than a review. However, I hope some of the readers of this, who had a parent, grandparent or other loved one who served in WWII in the Pacific can gleen a deeper respect of what they had endured and the lives of their loved ones meant after reading this book. Mr. Bradley- I just finished reading Flags of our Fathers. I found it to be the absolute best book on the subject that I have ever read. I state this with some level of qualification having been a US Army officer in Special Operations. I have studied Military History and Tactics most of my life and applied the craft in several Airborne and Spec. Ops units. I come from a family where both of my parents have a strong military tradition. We have two Medals of Honor in my family from Vietnam including Maj. Don Holleder, USMA class of '58. I am from the Grenada Raider/Desert Storm Generation. More than just a book of history and stories, I found it helpful for me in another respect. My father was in the US Navy at Iwo Jima and 11 other island campaigns. He served on the LST 672 in the 7th Ampibs getting the Marines on those beaches under direct fire and aerial barrage. Your father had a job to do tending the wounded. My father's job was to make sure he got "feet dry" to do it. I never quite fully understood the big picture, until I read your book as my father never has into great deal about the experience. I do know he was wounded in action twice. Through TDY duties and other reassignments he stood quarters for the burial of the men from the USS Lexington and was in the area to help pick up survivors of the USS Indianapolis. (both seperately tragic stories). I now understand the bitterness my Dad has, at times and why he breaks into sweats when he wakes up from his afternoon nap to the sound of a crop duster flying overhead. I also understand his distain for oriental food and anything marked "made in Japan." My Dad still is alive and just turned 80 years old. He gets tearful every time he hears Taps. He flys his American flag every August to honor VJ day. He gets sentimental over little things. He follows the veterans publications from the VFW and the American Legion. A few years ago,he was notified by one of the military alumni organizations that he was the last member of his crew alive. He broke into tears. All these little things may not mean a whole lot individually. However, if I take all of this and put it against the backdrop of the imagery experessed in your book, I finally get the big picture. You can read about events, battles and places. You can't LIVE the expereinces, though. I appreciate the fact that I now have the understanding to take what time my Dad has left and get a bit closer to him. Thank you for the enlightenment. Lest we Forget. J.C. Reimann
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