The Greatest Generation Speaks was born out of the vast outpouring of letters Brokaw received from people eager to share their personal memories and experiences of a momentous time in America's history after his bestseller “The Greatest Generation.”

These letters and reflections cross time, distance, and generations as they give voice to lives forever changed by war: eighty-year-old Clarence M. Graham, who recounts his harrowing experience as a soldier captured by the Japanese -- and provides a gripping eyewitness account of the dropping of the atomic bomb; Patricia Matthews Dorph, a soldier's daughter who shares the love letters her parents exchanged during the war, a lasting legacy of passion, devotion, and enduring love; Rabbi Judah Nadich, the first Jewish chaplain to serve in the war; Lorraine Davis, a civilian who helped form the Club of '44, a group of wartime wives who still meet today.

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 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. ( )

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 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. ( )

A very fast read. The book is not a work by Brokaw but a selection of letters which arrived after he had published "The Greatest Generation". Brokaw provides the introductions to the various sections. I have not read the first book. As I don't believe America has reached its highpoint, I don't agree that that generation was the greatest. I believe Brokaw is sincere in his limited estimation. But he is no historian. Overall, this is a nice addition to other interesting details surrounding the major events of WWII. This book is for the general reader but might be better appreciated among those people who lived through war years and after. Brokaw tends to gloss over what is explicitly stated by several entries, namely, "those who talk the most [of their battlefield exploits], did the least [in terms of selfless bravery]". Brokaw in Chapter IX still maintains that there was a national sense of purpose during the war years. Some of the combat veterans did not express those feelings of common purpose during actual combat. Rather than dwell on these sentiments Brokaw prefers to emphasize the patriotic aspect of all Americans, which is true enough. 9 pages of b/w photos, no Index, 9 chapters, Introduction, 'I Remember' journal pages. ( )

World War II, soldiers