The Greatest Generation

Rating:
Summary: Don't bother.
Review: This book is appallingly written, brazenly self-promoting and transparently biased to the left. It is full of cloying rhetorical questions ("They never shared their lunch with a starving Japanese child," supposedly characterizing younger Congressional Republicans -- how would Brokaw know who they'd shared lunch with, anyway?) and laughable self-contradictions (in a book that purportedly applauds the old-fashioned values, he criticizes Dole for being out of touch with the younger generation's self-absorption in his presidential campaign). Whenever he can work it in, he slings it to the Republicans, those meanies who care about no one but themselves. Critical thinkers will find this book superficial and opportunistic.

Rating:
Summary: A must read for all generations.
Review: This is a truly captivating book. I came away with a better understanding of my parents generation. They had a purpose and integrity that has not been matched in the generations that have followed.

Rating:
Summary: A great disapointment
Review: Rather than letting his subjects tell their stories Brokaw interjects his politics and philosophy. I donated my copy to the city library. Instead, read Studs Terkel's "The Good War." It "is" what Brokaw could have "had", if he would have imitated the master oral biographer.

Rating:
Summary: Wolrd War II Cheapened
Review: We all know Tom Brokaw to be a second-rate, fear-peddling, shallow and unoriginal broadcaster. With this book, Brokaw manages to transplant all of these attributes to writing. As if poor and occasionally self-conciously florid writing did not make this book poor enough, Brokaw, as any mass-media ninny would do, focuses on truly trivial aspects of World War II, e.g., the experiences of "victims" -- women, etc. In the process, he completely eschews any meaningful tribute to what WWII was fought for, what any serious treatment of the subject would not leave out. The result is a thoroughly banal presentation of the most heroic and momentous event of the twentieth century. But, this is what I should have expected from a television newscaster. Churchill's "The Second World War" is still (by far) the best history of WWII, personal or otherwise. Is it any coincidence that WWII's greatest hero was also its greatest historian?

Rating:
Summary: A touching and taughtful book.
Review: Tom Brokaw's book provides us with a reminder of how important the World War II generation is to our history. His glimpses into the lives of WWII vets and Americans on the homefront offer a touching insite into the era and a patriotic sentiment that seems lacking today. Well worth the time to read and remember the price many of our grandparents and parents paid to preserve democracy and freedom.

Rating:
Summary: A book of simple hurra patriotism
Review: I used to enjoy Tom Brokaw when he was NBC anchor man as a critical and competent journalist. His book however is a real disappiontment. For me, belonging to the post-war generation, it reads as a very shallow "hurra-patriotism" story, without any ctitical investigation of the time priode he covers. Not everything this generation did was so great and I would have expected from a critical journalist like Tom Brokaw to take this aspect into consideration as well. In this sense it is not very demanding book.

Rating:
Summary: A Wonderful Tribute to the Vets, Living and Decesed!!!!!
Review: I have read Tom's book which I believe is the best, and most inspiring book I've ever taken the time to read. Any of the people who might have said that this book is shallow and lousy must be shallow and lousy themselves. I believe we as a nation HAVE forgotten in a large way the WWII vets who gave their lives and risked their lives so that the generations after them could live in a comfortable country, full of opportunity. They experienced the worst conditions this country had ever seen, and complained the least of any generation there has been. I am inspired and grateful for their sacrifice and modesty. I SUGGEST THAT EVERYONE THAT MAY HAVE THE CHANCE TO READ THIS BOOK, SINCERELY READ IT!! IT IS VERY, VERY GOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rating:
Summary: A good book...
Review: Too many of the reviews I've seen here are putting the book down for what it may or may not be missing when they should be celebrating it for what it has. Brokaw is not writing a history of the war, he is simply giving short personal accounts of the lives of some of the men and women who lived and served during that time. He does this to support his claim that they are indeed the greatest generation. I, for one. thoroughly enjoyed the book. And to those who must berate the book for minor inaccuracies or other similar shortcomings, I only say this..."read the book for the message brokaw is trying to convey, not for the message YOU want it to convey" Do that, and I'm sure you'll find the book much more to your liking. I applaud Brokaw for such an undertaking.

Rating:
Summary: Creative, yet....
Review: Just because this guy's been giving us the news for years, decades, does not mean he knows this century. Creative idea, sure, but it's a great way to cash in on the millenium, eh?

Rating:
Summary: A pedestrain look at heroes who deserve much more
Review: Tom Brokaw has complosed short biographies of men and women who served in various ways in WWII, ways for which they should be honored. Their contributions in the war were given short shrift and no story is given the depth deserved. The book does serve a purpose, however, by reminding us that we are still living among heroes.