The Greatest Generation

Brokaw, Tom

4.03

18,670 ratings by Goodreads

ISBN 10: 0375405666 ISBN 13: 9780375405662

Publisher: Random House Audio, 1998

3 CDs  / 4 hours
Read by the Author, Tom Brokaw
Also available on cassette

In this superb audiobook, Tom Brokaw goes out into America to tell - through the stories of individual men and women - the story of a generation, American's citizen heroes and heroines who came of age during the Great Depression and the Second World War and went on to bud modern America.

"They won the war; they saved the world.  They can home to joyous and short-lived celebrations and immediately began the task of rebuilding their lives and the world they wanted.  They married in record numbers and gave birth to another distinctive generation, The Baby Boomers.  A grateful nation made it possible for more of them to attend college than any society had ever educated anywhere.  They have the world new science, literature, art, industry, and economic strength unparalleled in the long curve of history."

This generation was united not only by a common purpose, but also by common values - duty, honor, economy courage, service, love of family and country, and, above all, responsibility for oneself.

"I am in awe of them, these men and women who have given us the world we have today.  I feel privileged to have been witness to their stories.  A I came to know many of them I became more and more moved by their everyday excellence - and more and more convinced that this is the greatest generation in our country's history." - Tom Brokaw

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

Review:

Veteran reporter and NBC Nightly News anchor Tom Brokaw went to France to make a documentary marking the 40th anniversary of D-day in 1984. Although he was thoroughly briefed on the historical background of the invasion, he was totally unprepared for how it would affect him emotionally. Flooded with childhood memories of World War II, Brokaw began asking veterans at the ceremony to revisit their past and talk about what happened, triggering a chain reaction of war-torn confessions and Brokaw's compulsion to capture their experiences in what he terms "the permanence a book would represent."

After almost 15 years and hundreds of letters and interviews, Brokaw wrote The Greatest Generation, a representative cross-section of the stories he came across. However, this collection is more than a mere chronicle of a tumultuous time, it's history made personal by a cast of everyday people transformed by extraordinary circumstances: the first women to break the homemaker mold, minorities suffering countless indignities to boldly fight for their country, infantrymen who went on to become some of the most distinguished leaders in the world, small-town kids who became corporate magnates. From the reminiscences of George Bush and Julia Child to the astonishing heroism and moving love stories of everyday people, The Greatest Generation salutes those whose sacrifices changed the course of American history. --Rebekah Warren

From the Back Cover:

"A moving scrapbook...a tribute to the members of the World War II generation to whom we Americans and the world owe so much."
-- The New York Times Book Review

"Full of wonderful, wrenching tales of a generation of heroes. Tom Brokaw reminds us of what we are capable of as a people. An inspiring read for those who wish their spirits lifted."
-- General Colin L. Powell (ret.)

"Entirely compelling."
-- The Wall Street Journal

"Written with love and grace ... a book I will keep forever on my shelves."
-- Frank McCourt, author of 'Tis

"Heartfelt ... A sweeping tribute to Americans who saved the world. It offers welcome inspiration."
-- The Washington Times
Don't miss the heartwarming New York Times bestseller that gives voice to The Greatest Generation:

The Greatest Generation Speaks: Letters and Reflections

Coming in July 2001 from Dell
From the Trade Paperback edition.

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.