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Title: Flags of Our Fathers : Heroes of Iwo Jima by Ron Powers, Michael French, James Bradley ISBN: 0-385-73064-0 Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers Pub. Date: 13 May, 2003 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $8.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.79 (385 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Beneath The Flag
Comment: I was only 5 when the attack on Iwo Jima took place. My own father, by virtue of age, good luck and a naval officer's commission escaped conscription into this particular hell. My personal wartime experience is a vague one of watching free movie musicals at the Ottumwa Iowa Naval Air Station, squashing and saving tin cans for the war effort and finally weaving red white and blue crepe paper into the spokes of my junior bike in celebration of VJ day. Thanks to a new book about World War II, I am discovering what it was really like back then to feel true patriotism. It is a bittersweet revelation, but a very valid one.
"Flags of Our Fathers" is a book which appeals not only to the die-hard WWII buff but to any person, male or female, with an interest in a teeth clenching, powerful and poignant story. It describes a horrible battle, the incredible selfless sacrifices of young men and the angst of their families.
James Bradley & Ron Powers have brought to vivid life the real people behind the famous flag-raising mythos, the surreal war in which they so valiantly fought and the survivors' eventual reentry into civilian life. This is an adventure story of true horrific experiences. On the surface it is a "good guy-bad guy" saga in which our good guys finally triumph. The good guys lucky enough to come home are quiet, self effacing and seemingly forever linked to the ghosts of those who did not survive. In an age before psychologists had discovered and mined "survivor's guilt" and Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome, the luckiest of these largely teenaged boys trained, fought, were wounded, came back and resumed living to the best of their ability. I defy any woman not to bleed for the mothers and fathers who waited and any man not to cry for the "uncommon valor" of these very young sons. Bradley's personal experiences with his own hero father, his intimate interviews with families of these sons and his own quiet faith are melded with the poetic prose of Ron Powers into a seamless whole.
This is a meticulously researched, lovingly crafted and stunning battle book, written by exceptional men about exceptional men. It is sure to become a classic.
Rating: 5
Summary: Haunting, Thought-Provoking, Graphic, Poignant
Comment: FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS is a brilliant work for so many reasons: it pays homage to the six men who raised the flag on Mount Suribachi on the island of Iwo Jima during WWII; it is a tribute to a father who felt strongly that the real heroes at Iwo were the boys who didn't come back; it is a testimonial to the USMC and its fighting men; it portrays a graphic and at times unimaginable description of the horrors of war; and, it depicts not only the indignities that we humans can suffer upon one another, but also the moments when common men (indeed, boys) are moved to perform acts of uncommon valor and courage. When reading this book, you will feel pride, grief, anger, sadness, and dismay. Its words will make you laugh, cry, mourn, and think hard. FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS is a good book---no, a great book---about a moment in our history and the ordinary men who performed extraordinary deeds and left their mark upon the annals of war. Read it...for the sake of the six flagraisers, the families left behind in all wars, and the whole human race.
Rating: 5
Summary: Amazing story, hearwarming and heart wrenching
Comment: Loved this book. I learned history--the story of IWO JIMA, a battle that was pivotal to the allies winning the war in the pacific. Knowing about the bravery of the soldiers in the face of brutality and almost certain death has given me greater regard for the "greatest generation." It has also made me realize how fragile is civilization. One question raised by the book is how a nation can be so systematically savage as were the Japanese in the 1930s and 1940s. And, why do we remember the crimes of Hitler and the Germans while forgetting the crimes of the Japanese. A telling statistic from the book is the fact that about 2% of POWs in German camps died while 37% of POWS held by the Japanese died. One minor weakness as I see it--the author is a little sentimental about his father while perhaps being a little too hard on some of the other flag raisers--especially Rene Gagnon. If it means something to poor Rene's family to have him buried in Arlington with a glorious quote on his tombstone, why should we quibble? Seems that any man on that Island during the fighting, medaled or not, is a hero deserving of all the honor the US has to bestow. Overall, I loved the book and highly recommend it.
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Title: Flyboys: A True Story of Courage by James Bradley ISBN: 0316105848 Publisher: Little Brown & Company Pub. Date: 30 September, 2003 List Price(USD): $25.95 |
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Title: Ghost Soldiers: The Forgotten Epic Story of World War II's Most Dramatic Mission by Hampton Sides ISBN: 0385495641 Publisher: Doubleday Pub. Date: 15 May, 2001 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
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Title: In Harm's Way: The Sinking of the USS Indianapolis and the Extraordinary Story of Its Survivors by Doug Stanton ISBN: 0805066322 Publisher: Henry Holt & Company, Inc. Pub. Date: April, 2001 List Price(USD): $25.00 |
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Title: Ghost Soldiers: The Epic Account of World War II's Greatest Rescue Mission by Hampton Sides ISBN: 038549565X Publisher: Anchor Pub. Date: 07 May, 2002 List Price(USD): $14.95 |
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Title: Band of Brothers : E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler's Eagle's Nest by Stephen E. Ambrose ISBN: 0743216458 Publisher: Touchstone Books Pub. Date: 06 June, 2001 List Price(USD): $16.00 |
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