The Greatest Generation Speaks (Tom Brokaw)

Brokaw, Tom

ISBN 10: 0375409238 ISBN 13: 9780375409233

Publisher: Random House Audio, 1999

Synopsis

Read by the Author
Three Cassettes, 4 Hours

Inspired by the thousands of letters Tom Brokaw received in response to his bestselling book The Greatest Generation, The Greatest Generation Speaks highlights selected letters that capture the spirit of those who came of age during the Great Depression.

Members of the World War II generation and their families speak for themelves in these powerful letters and Tom Brokaw reflects on why their lives continue to strike such a deep chord with Americans today.  Stories of war, love, family, faith and country echo throughout the memories.  These rich lives of courage, achievement and honor comprise the values that made a people and a nation great.

About this title

Review:

The popularity and credibility of charismatic news anchor Tom Brokaw ensured bestseller status for The Greatest Generation, Brokaw's homage to the Americans who survived and overcame the depression and World War II. The Greatest Generation Speaks expands his thesis that we owe a huge debt of gratitude to those tough and courageous men and women for ensuring the freedoms and comforts that Americans enjoy today. Their stories, culled from letters, interviews, and personal histories of the Greatest Generation and their family members, are anecdotal but extremely powerful, showing how men and women were sustained by simple ideals of patriotism, family, and fair play. This individualistic portrait is exactly how Americans saw themselves: Brokaw's book is a valid reflection of the times.

During a period of economic hardship and in a country united by the war effort, choices were simple; few people questioned why America was fighting Germany and Japan. Adversity brought out the best, especially in an optimistic culture like America's. As the soldier who found Beethoven's pianos in a Weimar house says after his unit is shelled, "Nothing like a close call to make the morning more beautiful." The greatest impression that war veterans seem to carry back from war is a sense of comradeship that, in spite of pain and loss, render their war years the most rewarding of all their life experiences. Modern life doesn't necessarily have the same certainties. The Greatest Generation Speaks is a healthy reminder of the foundations on which American society is built. --John Stevenson

From the Back Cover:

"When I wrote about the men and women who came out of the Depression, who won great victories and made lasting sacrifices in World War II and then returned home to begin building the world we have today--the people I called the Greatest Generation--it was my way of saying thank you. But I was not prepared for the avalanche of letters and responses touched off by that book--more stories and wisdom from that generation and time. I had written a book about America, and now America was writing back."
        --Tom Brokaw

About this edition

• Publisher: Random House Audio
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 0375409238
• ISBN 13: 9780375409233
• Binding: Audio Cassette