An Album of Memories

April 30, 2001
Ever since he released his tribute to The Greatest Generation,
Brokaw has been inundated, happily, by a generous and appreciative outpouring of responses from those who built modern-day America. Their voices in his sequel, The Greatest Generation Speaks, triggered even more memories of the American experience in WWII. To honor both these additional stories and the new WWII memorial in Washington, D.C. (proceeds from the book will help fund it), Brokaw has compiled this new collection of letters and photos in an arrangement that is, appropriately, both familial and formal. Most of the selections were written by men who served in the armed forces, but Brokaw also includes letters from veterans' wives, children and grandchildren who have inherited a legacy they want to share. Brokaw divides the contributions into categories such as "The Great Depression," "The Home Front" and "The War in Europe," and provides a brief overview of each period. Although his historical introductions are somewhat simplistic accounts of well-known events, he does include more controversial information on the internment of Japanese-Americans and the racism within the armed forces. But the strength of this collection lies in the engrossing and evocative letters. They document the actual experiences of men and women who risked their lives and endured great hardships for what they strongly believed was a good cause. Women widowed by the war provide haunting memoirs of the young men they loved and lost. Running through the correspondence are the values of patriotism, self-sacrifice and courage under fire that so characterized this wartime generation. 90 b&w photos, time lines and maps. Agent, Ken Starr.

June 1, 2001
Thanks in part to NBC news anchor Brokaw, the "greatest generation" will certainly not become the forgotten generation anytime soon. This sequel to The Greatest Generation Speaks uses the same format: letters written to Brokaw describing everything from domestic activities to life as a soldier in World War II. In this work, coverage begins with recollections of the Great Depression and then proceeds to the different theaters of the war. Coverage of the Dirty Thirties is slow and somewhat boring, with letters that run along the lines of, "Dear Tom, I had to wear my older sister's hand-me-downs and work evenings at the movie show. Thank You." However, once readers reach the war period, they will not be able to put the book down. Even more so than the rugged Depression era, it was World War II that made and molded this hardy generation. Especially touching are those letters that contain the evolution of a life, from depictions of boot camp and love and loneliness to horror and battle and, finally, death (copies of death and grave notices and sometimes letters written by soldiers who were friends of the deceased are included). One becomes almost part of the soldier's family. Some of the proceeds from book sales will go to the World War II Memorial in Washington, DC. Sure to hit the best sellers list (and hopefully the last in Brokaw's series), this book is essential for public libraries. [Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 1/01.] Richard Nowicki, formerly with Emerson Vocational High, Buffalo, NY

Copyright 2001 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2001
Brokaw's nightly NBC news broadcast may not lead in the ratings, but his "Greatest Generation" volumes have been a publishing phenomenon. "Album" is likely to continue this highly successful pattern; it gathers letters written to Brokaw by Americans who lived through the Depression and World War II and, in some cases, letters written by their children. Brokaw provides a brief introduction and a time line for each chapter; these cover the Depression, the war in Europe and in the Pacific, and the wartime "home front," closing with "Reflections." The book is lavishly illustrated with reproductions of photographs, drawings, documents, and other memorabilia of the era. In the end, though, the appeal of these books lies in the stories Brokaw's correspondents tell: the experiences of ordinary and not-so-ordinary Americans during the difficult middle years of the twentieth century. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2001, American Library Association.)