Rating: 
Summary: A High Standard Well Met
Review: When their country and the world was threatened by totalitarian forces, this generation set aside the routines of their daily lives and went to war. Some flew airplanes over hostile territory, some fought on dangerous seas, some landed on foreign soil against well defended enemy entrenchments, and some devoted their skills and energy doing at home what was necessary for victory abroad, but all sacrificed for a cause in which they believed. This is their story. Much like Studs Terkel's "The Great War: An Oral History of World War II," Tom Brokaw sets the stage and then steps aside to let the people who lived through these perilous times remember and relate.This is a book which, like a fine gourmet meal, needs to be savored in measured helpings. The stories of these men and women need to be read a few at a time then set aside for time to contemplate how intimate and compelling each is. While many are similar, each provides its own unique feeling and impression. To me, all these folks were true heroes in every sense of the word. A few words come to mind as I think back over the totality of the book. These are honor, courage, commitment, duty, self-sacrifice, and patriotism. I think you will like this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Honoring those who deserve it...
Review: Tom Brokaw is not a professional writer, which is sometimes obvious in his book, but in "The Greatest Generation" he serves his main purpose in the undertaking. Browkaw honors everybody in the WWII generation, from soldiers who fought on the front lines to wives that were left behind to keep things smooth on the homefront, and shows the respect that they earned through the sacrifices they made throughout the 1940s. This book clearly depicts the events that many of the survivors of this generation lived through and details the types of things they were forced to give up for the good of the country. It showed me how lucky we were to have a generation of people that were willing to band together as they did and that without them, our country would not be as it is today. The now 70 year olds that lived through the second World War have done as much, if not more, than ANYBODY in the nation's history. Thanks to Brokaw, their stories are now known to the public and will no live on forever. I recommend this book to all Americans. It lets you know what the nation has gone through and what that generation tolerated. Reading the short stories in the book makes me feel proud to be an American and thankful for those that I read of.
Rating:
Summary: The Greatest Generation
Review: The Greatest Generation is a beautiful tribute to the generation whose lives were most affected by WWII. The stories put together to form this book inspire the reader to live as a hero and fight through the trials of life today in 2004. Every story helps connect the reader with the heroes of that generation. This book inspires people of today to have respect for yesterdays heroes. I would recommend this book to people of all ages. It helps connect each and everyone of us to our past and helps us to respect one another as people, as a country, and as a community. This book highlights the struggles that our grandparents had when they were young and inspires us to overcome the little trials in our everyday lives.
Rating:
Summary: An Impressive and Moving Story
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Don't Forget To Remember
Review: Once a year Americans celebrate Memorial Day at the end of May. Between family reunions and sales enticing people to shop for bargains, there are parades to honor our veterans and some fitting remarks by politicians. This is not enough. A million Americans have died in various wars since we became a nation - hundreds of thousands have been wounded and we continue to be almost oblivious until a great movie such as Saving Private Ryan, or a book like this one comes along to jolt our memories and acquaint the new generation with the sacrifices made in the last century. Thanks Tom Brokaw, for writing this timely book and bringing us dozens of stories from the war years - a wonderful collection -a look back to a time we need to remember. Every patriotic American should own this compelling book. It should be required reading in our schools. Rightly named the "greatest generation" by Mr. Brokaw, this generation will soon disappear. Fortunately there are still some veterans who will see the dedication of the new World War II memorial. We need to educate our children early and be honest with them. A book such as this one, and other great books by our esteemed historians, David McCullough, Stephen Ambrose, and others, belongs in our personal library, ready to read and reread, ready to share and discuss the contents, and to remember American history.
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: The Greatest Generation
Review: "The Greatest Generation" was inspiring. As a young adult I have yet to experience anything having to do with the war. The horror stories to me are exactly that, just stories. While reading this book I was taken aback. The generation today...Those kids at war now will return with many of the same experiences as those in World War II. It is unusual and sad to see the differences between "The Greatest Generation", and the generation today. The stories in this book are ones of hope, love, courage, bravery, and overcoming adversity. They are happy, sad, and inspiring. I enjoyed reading about those people that everyone has known or heard of, all the way to those people who go unheard and unspoken of. Tom Brokaw did a wonderful job capturing all aspects of World War II from the men in the middle of the battle, to the women fighting their own battles at home. Only time can tell how recent wars could potentially transform our generation into one similar to "The Greatest."
Rating: 
Summary: Browkaw The Simplton
Review: Tom Brokaw should stick to news reading for his analytical skills are on par with a moron. This book fawns over the WWII generation. Sure there were some achievements. So what, every generation has challenges some may be tougher then others but it is all relative. As another reviewer noted, the WWII generation is the greatest compared to whom? How about comparing to the exponentially greater generation that had to manage though the American Revolution and a new constitutional government? Of course there are many other examples. The American WWII generation are no more great then any other. They are being well compensated for their sacrifices in the form of free money courtesy of the working person. We workers are forced to pay insane amounts into the ponzi schemes called Social Security and Medicare for which we will never see a dime or a minute of service. Talk about reform and they all cry foul. This is not the response I would expect from "the greatest generation." Stick to being a news personality Tom.
Rating:
Summary: Very interesting plot with wonderful detail!
Review: The Greatest Generation by Tom Brokaw is a compelling novel with great significance to the men and women serving our country during World War Two. These brave men and women suffered through the Great Depression and yet somehow brought with them enough courage to give us the world we are living in today. In their hearts they knew what needed to be done and not a single soul held back from it. When reading the Greatest Generation you will come across people of different races, religion, and different societies. You will relive with famous people, ordinary people, and heroes that put their lives on the line during that time era. These American citizens were trained through their hearts day after day only to come across one of the worst battles history has ever known.
You will men such as Lloyd Kilmer, an aviation cadet, who was assigned to the 448 Bomb group. Or you will meet a man by the name of Gorden Larsen who would spend most of his life trying to put the war behind him and forget it. Women also played a major role in combat. One woman, Margaret Roy Ringenberg, was part of the WASP's and excelled in military aircraft. She gave flying lessons to others who admitted she was a far better trainer than any other instructor they had learned from.
When serving in World War Two the famous George Bush learned a lot about life. He was curiously inarticulate about the defining moments of the war. He considers his years as a navy combat flyer an extremely important part of his life's experiences. These people mentioned are only a few talked about in this book of remembrance, achievement, honor, and courage.
I enjoyed this book very much. I learned much detail about the war that I had never knew existed before this novel. These brave men and women have achieved so much in their life and I loved learning about each and every one of them. I look up to them for their accomplishments and have learned that the generation of World War Two was unlike any other.
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