Rating: 
Summary: They saved the world...and built modern America......
Review: The term Greatest Generation might smack of journalistic hyperbole or nationalistic jingoism, but the more I read the works of Stephen E. Ambrose (D-Day June 6, 1944: The Climactic Battle of World War II, Band of Brothers) or watch any of the documentaries about World War II -- especially on this 60th Anniversary of the D-Day landings and other landmark battles of history's largest clash of arms -- that will air from Memorial Day till June 6, the more I am inclined to agree with Tom Brokaw's use of that term to describe the men and women who came of age in the 1930s and '40s and created modern America.Brokaw, one of America's best television journalists and anchor of NBC's Nightly News, not only coined the phrase "the Greatest Generation" when he wrote this amazingly fascinating and inspiring collection of personality profiles of men and women, some famous (Bob Dole, Julia Child, George H.W. Bush), some not-so-famous but prominent (Norman Mineta, Daniel Inouye), and some neither prominent nor famous yet vitally essential (Leonard Lomell, Jeanette Gagne Norton) who either saw combat, contributed to the war effort, or endured the hardships of being separated from loved ones without succumbing to fear or giving in to selfishness or self-pity. In the same concise yet utterly convincing style of his network news writing, Brokaw draws the reader into his chronicles of 50 men and women whose experiences encompass a wide spectrum of the American World War II experience. He captures, for instance, humorist Art Buchwald's seemingly unlikely stint as a Marine in the South Pacific, at first (and almost disastrously) loading ordnance onto Marine Corsair fighter-bombers, then more wisely reassigned to work on the squadron's newsletter and drive trucks. In five pages, Brokaw wonderfully gets the essence of Buchwald's satiric-yet-gentle personality, while at the same time revealing that the least-likely-to-be-a-Marine was given a parade by then-outgoing Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Colin Powell. The Greatest Generation is full of vivid personality profiles like Buchwald's. Some, such as that of Len Lomell, highlight bravery in combat; others are like Jeanette Gagne Norton's, whose husband Camille Gagne was killed in Holland during Operation Market-Garden. The recollections Brokaw presents here are full of drama and laughter, of happiness, love, and sometimes shame, but there is no bitterness or self-pity. For these are the men and women that saved the world from tyranny...and made our country what it is today.
Rating:
Summary: Inspiring!
Review: Tom Brokaw's novel The Greatest Generation was amazing! As a granddaughter of a WWII vet, I now look at my grandpa in a new light. Brokaw honestly tells the stories of average men and women that fought for our country in WWII. Everyone had different experiences but they all shared the same traits about caring more about others then themselves. I loved the stories about the heroes fighting for our country, but I was also impressed with the many women that also helped defend the country. My grandpa has never said much about the war, until recently. He is beginning to open up and many other vets are sharing their stories as well. Brokaw's novel was so direct yet unexpected with all the thoughts and feelings with all the vets. I love hearing about how these men protected our country and never second guessed why they were fighting the war. I believe, like Tom Brokaw, they are a great generation but I believe that there will be many more "Great Generations" to come. Another group of people will be put to the test and they will also show their colors. For now though, these men and women are truly the greatest generation that the US has produced. I only wish that we all had more time to learn from these individuals.
Rating: 
Summary: He nailed his main theme pretty well.
Review: Tom's book was a good read. Overall I would rate it as "ok". He nailed his main theme pretty well. The people who fought the war and suffered all of it's horrors came home afterwards and went quietly about their business without fanfare and with no complaining or demands for retributions. That was certainly true to a large extent. However, there actually was a good deal of fanfare and celebration when they arrived home. There was also a huge effort on the part of the government to provide medical assistance and educational opportunites, a point that Brokaw covers but not with the emphasis that it deserves. The G.I. Bill of Rights was probably the finest and one of the most far-reaching government benefits ever conceived. There were also considerable efforts in towns and communities throughout the country. Efforts on the part of private citizens, businesses, churches and other community organizations to welcome home the veterans and to help them get re-established. I know from my own experiences as a youngsterr of 15 that many good deeds were done by many good people. Indeed it was a great generation and those who returrned from the war were magnanimous in their victory. But Brokaw misses a great opportunity to properly credit the millions of ordinary men who were most instrumental in winning the victory and rebuilding their lives and their country in the aftermath. He prefers instead to cite those who became famous and wealthy, those who became well known politicians and those who suffered discrimination on top of their other trevails. Discrimination was a problem during the war but was not the practice of most people, as Brokaw's narrative seems to suggest. In fact the problem was addressed in many ways during the war. A look at today's military will show that the "greatest generation" did not ignore the problem but faced it head on. Today's military exemplifies non-discrimination; a point not mentioned by Brokaw. Brokaw's victims and other non-ordinary folks certainly did their part but by anyone's count, the war was fought and won by ordinary men doing extraordinary things. Of the forty people cited by Brokaw only eight are in this category. As a result this book gives a slanted and inaccurate picture of who did what to whom and for whom. I think of my brother-in-law Jigger and my Uncle Bill and others who I knew who fought in the war and experienced it's horrors and who returned to their homes their families and their work and who demanded nothing but freedom to do so. I expected Mr. Brokaw's book to filled with the stories of such people but there were only eight. The rest was whining about discrimination or extolling the virtues of the rich and famous who were privileged to serve with the ordinary (who really weren't so ordinary). I can't help concluding that Mr. Brokaw dropped the ball at the one-yard line. With two out bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth, Mr. Brokaw struck out. The truly great book about the generation of World War II is yet to written. Donald R. MacDonough
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Summary: "The Greatest Spending Generation?" by RexCurry.net
Review: Very interesting book. Another fascinating aspect of the book is that on D-day of 2004 Tom Brokaw, anchor and managing editor of the top-rated "NBC Nightly News," and Rex Curry, lawyer and libertarian commentator, were the first and only journalists honored for exposing the "National Socialist German Workers' Party" to the public in Google News' search engine on D-Day of 2004. On that date, June 6, 2004, and for 30 days thereafter Google News showed only Brokaw's and Curry's use of the full phrase in Google News archives. Google News selects from 4,500 news sources updated continuously.
On June 6, 2004 the google news search (a search of any use on any date of Google's 30 day news search frame that Google news maintains) for the full phrase revealed only six uses, five belonging to Curry and one belonging to Brokaw. Brokaw's use was posted as a book review at MSNBC and was not actually a "news" item. All of the other uses were by Curry reporting on widespread ignorance about the full phrase, about the Pledge of Allegiance, and leading to Curry's historic news-making story that the U.S. Pledge was the origin of the salute of the horrid National Socialist German Workers' Party (Nazis).
This acheivement was pointed out to other news journalists nationwide, who were invited to join Brokaw and Curry as the only journalists to educate the public about the full phrase in the news media on D-Day. During that time news journalists could have taken third place, or made the top ten.
In comparison to the above, Google News indicated that the hackneyed shorthand "Nazi" had 9320 results from various news writers who all failed to ever mention the actual name of the monstrous Party.
The search above can be replicated on any date by comparing the Google search results for "Nazi" with the search results for the full phrase "National Socialist German Workers' Party." For example, a recent search on a random date gave 5,740 uses of "Nazi" and only 3 uses of the full phrase.
Here's the excerpt that did it for Brokaw: "In Germany, a former painter with a spellbinding oratorical style took office as chancellor and immediately set out to seize control of the political machinery of Germany with his National Socialist German Workers party, known informally as the Nazis. Adolf Hitler began his long march to infamy."
Rating:
Summary: "The Greatest Spending Generation?" by RexCurry.net
Review: Very interesting book. Another fascinating aspect of the book is that it made Tom Brokaw, and the historian Rex Curry, the first journalists honored for exposing the "National Socialist German Workers' Party" to the public in Google News' search engine. Google News shows only Brokaw's and Curry's use of the full phrase in Google News archives. Google News selects from 4,500 news sources updated continuously. A google news search for the full phrase revealed only six uses, five belonging to Curry and one belonging to Brokaw. Brokaw's use was actually posted as a book review at MSNBC and was not actually a "news" item. All of the other uses were by Curry writing about the topic of public and media ignorance of the full phrase, including Curry's history-making story that the U.S. Pledge of Allegiance was the origin of the salute of the horrid National Socialist German Workers' Party (Nazis). Other news journalists can still join Brokaw and Curry as the first journalists to educate the public about the full phrase in the news media. News journalists can take third place, or make the top ten. Here's the excerpt that did it for Brokaw: "In Germany, a former painter with a spellbinding oratorical style took office as chancellor and immediately set out to seize control of the political machinery of Germany with his National Socialist German Workers party, known informally as the Nazis. Adolf Hitler began his long march to infamy." In comparison to the above, Google News indicates that the hackneyed shorthand "Nazi" has 9320 results from various news writers who all failed to ever mention the actual name of the monstrous Party.
Rating:
Summary: Things I lerned from this book
Review: We had John Wayne movies every time we looked. Tom Brokaw went further. He actually talked and wrote about the soldiers who saved the United States from tyranny. My two Great Uncles served in WWII. Uncle Tom would always tell a story, but the stories had a comic ending. Uncle Tom never talked about the War. Tom Brokaw, although he could never see the full picture from the soldiers side, has several books about WWII, and he also learned what it was like . For instance, when the Enola Gay dropped the Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, he was talking to the pilot of the Enola Gay. One thing that was learned was those two bombs that hit Japan were extremely difficult for the pilots. Tom Brokaw has done exceptional work with all he has done since joining NBC, and finding the time to write books.
Rating:
Summary: A moving tribute to a generation's accomplishments
Review: While there are a great number of books about World War II and the men who fought it, this book goes beyond the war itself, and describes the origins of the people profiled, as well as their accomplishments and lifes after the war. I had never really thought through the implications of growing up during the Depression and then mobilizing for the war effort, and how these experiences led to the changes the members of this generation brought about in our society. This book does just that. I developed a deeper appreciation for the ways the experiences of their youth led to the later accomplishments of that generation.
This book is a tremendously respectful tribute to the men and women who grew up during the Depression, and came of age during the second world war. Whether they were destined for greatness or fame, or were ordinary citizens, this book provides insights into these remarkable lives and shows the lasting effects of those early life experiences. I have often wondered how I would have reacted had I been faced with challenges such as those faced by Brokaw's "Greatest Generation." I am thankful that I have not been asked to make such sacrifices, but I also wonder if that lack of a "trial by fire" won't have a long term impact on the accompishments of my generation.
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