The Greatest Generation Speaks: Letters and Reflections

by Tom Brokaw

Hardcover, 1999

Status

Available

Call number

940.548173

Collection

Publication

Random House (1999), 272 pages

Description

Biography & Autobiography. History. Military. Nonfiction. HTML:NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER � A powerful selection of the letters Tom Brokaw received in response to his towering #1 bestseller The Greatest Generation.   �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. I had written a book about America, and now America was writing back.��Tom Brokaw   In the phenomenal bestseller The Greatest Generation, Tom Brokaw paid affecting tribute to those who gave the world so much�and who left an enduring legacy of courage and conviction. The Greatest Generation Speaks collects the vast outpouring of letters Brokaw received from men and women eager to share their intensely personal stories of a momentous time in America�s history. Some letters tell of the front during the war, others recall loved ones in harm�s way in distant places. They offer first-hand accounts of battles, poignant reflections on loneliness, exuberant expressions of love, and somber feelings of loss.   As Brokaw notes, �If we are to heed the past to prepare for the future, we should listen to these quiet voices of a generation that speaks to us of duty and honor, sacrifice and accomplishment. I hope more of their stories will be preserved and cherished as reminders of all that we owe them and all that we can learn from them.�.… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member sraimone
This is a must read for anyone who has or had connections to anyone that was part of "The Greatest Generation." A follow up to Mr. Brokaw's first book, The Greatest Generation, The Greatest Generation Speaks is mainly letters and stories that the author received in response to his fist book. Having
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a Grandfather, and two great uncles that both served during World War Two, and a Grandmother and great aunts that worked in defense plants during the war, I really enjoyed it. There were funny stories, interesting parts of history that I didn't know about, and stories that brought you to tears. I highly recommend this book.
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LibraryThing member Krumbs
Perhaps not the best one to listen to while driving. Some of the letters are sad and graphic (about POWs and concentration camps, etc.) but others are quite sweet. At times, I did find it difficult to determine when the author was speaking for himself and when he was reading a letter. I haven't
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read or listened to The Greatest Generation (the precurser to this) but it wasn't strictly necessary to do so.

I don't know what was cut out in this abridged version but it was a bit abrupt and rough in places.
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LibraryThing member MrsLee
Although I preferred his first book, The Greatest Generation, this book was very interesting as well. I rank them right up there with Ernie Pyle, and for me, that is saying something.
By writing of the Depression/WWII generation, mainly in their own words, Mr. Brokaw has opened up the floodgates of
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repressed memories and communication for people of this era. His second book is mainly letters he has compiled from veterans and their families, yet he has ordered them in such a way as to be a beautiful story of the bravery, honor, sacrifice, faith and morality of that era. One can't help wondering how things have gone so far awry since then. These stories moved me to tears often and made me think of our present day boys and girls serving in Iraq and around the world. What will be the result and end of their bravery and sacrifice? Will the end be worth the means? I sincerely hope so.
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Original language

English

Original publication date

1999

Physical description

272 p.; 5.85 inches

ISBN

0375503943 / 9780375503948
Page: 0.4674 seconds