The Greatest Generation Speaks

Author:
ISBN-10: 0375409246
ISBN-13: 9780375409240
Contributor:
Review Date:

In 1998, American journalist Tom Brokaw published The Greatest Generation that profiled a handful of Americans who lived through the tumultuous 1930s and 1940s. The book picked up mainstream popularity, and the title became, though cliché, a popular reference of utmost respect Americans paid to the generation characterized by patriotism and loyalty. Many readers communicated their experiences to the author, noting that the book opened up the memory vault of family elders previously locked by heavy emotions, that the book should have included stories such as certain ones passed down by a particular family, or that they would like to share the personal correspondences exchanged between their parents during war time. Brokaw organized many pieces of those communications and published them as the follow up work The Greatest Generation Speaks in 2005. Although this sequel gave me the feeling that the publisher, perhaps even the author himself, aimed at generating revenue more than documenting the achievements of that generation, the stories told were nevertheless inspiring. While the study of WW2 history could be impersonal, memoirs and personal stories often bridged that gap. Memoirs could never be viewed as history, perhaps especially like the stories in this very book that might had been over romanticized, but they gave us a glimpse into the minds of those who had actually participated in the key historical events.

I had reviewed this title in its audio book format. The audio book was billed as read by Brokaw, but that was only partially true; the author generally introduced each letter or chapter, but the narration of the main content of each segment was done by a team of voice actors. The readers did a great job with their performance.

While The Greatest Generation Speaks fell far short in comparison to its predecessor, I found this collection of many short letters and stories to be very entertaining.

Also see: The Greatest Generation reviewed by C. Peter Chen.



Back to Main | Back to Book Reviews Index




Did you enjoy this article or find this article helpful? If so, please consider supporting us on Patreon. Even $1 per month will go a long way! Thank you.

Share this article with your friends:

 Facebook
 Reddit
 Twitter

Stay updated with WW2DB:

 RSS Feeds


Visitor Submitted Comments

1. Jerry says:
12 Apr 2015 02:15:39 PM

The greatest Generation was a blatant rip-off of Studs Terkel's "The Good War".
Terkel's work was far better.

All visitor submitted comments are opinions of those making the submissions and do not reflect views of WW2DB.

Posting Your Comments on this Topic

Your Name
Your Email
 Your email will not be published
Comment Type
Your Comments
 

Notes:

1. We hope that visitor conversations at WW2DB will be constructive and thought-provoking. Please refrain from using strong language. HTML tags are not allowed. Your IP address will be tracked even if you remain anonymous. WW2DB site administrators reserve the right to moderate, censor, and/or remove any comment. All comment submissions will become the property of WW2DB.

2. For inquiries about military records for members of the World War II armed forces, please see our FAQ.

Search WW2DB
More on The Greatest Generation Speaks
Affiliated Link:
» The Greatest Generation Speaks
Famous WW2 Quote
"The raising of that flag on Suribachi means a Marine Corps for the next 500 years."

James Forrestal, Secretary of the Navy, 23 Feb 1945


Support Us

Please consider supporting us on Patreon. Even $1 a month will go a long way. Thank you!

Or, please support us by purchasing some WW2DB merchandise at TeeSpring, Thank you!