Inspired by Your Browsing History. We Band of Angels. Elizabeth M. Norman and Elizabeth Norman. Parachute Infantry. David Webster. Helmet for My Pillow. Robert Leckie. The Supreme Commander. Stephen E. Jon T. The General vs. As Good As Dead. Stephen L. Black Sheep One. Bruce Gamble. Carroll V. Glines and James Doolittle. Conversations with Major Dick Winters.
Cole C. Red Blood, Black Sand. Clear the Bridge! Beyond Band of Brothers. Dick Winters and Cole C. Beyond The Call. Jeremy Dronfield and Lee Trimble. The Last Ridge. Mckay Jenkins. Panzer Commander. Hans Von Luck. Baa Baa Black Sheep. Gregory Boyington. The Pacific. Hugh Ambrose. View all retailers. James Bradley James Bradley is an author and critic. Praise for Flags Of Our Fathers. New York Times The best battle book I ever read. Stephen Ambrose. Related titles.
Agent Sonya. Man's Search For Meaning. The Choice. A Promised Land. Stalin's Wine Cellar. John Baker , Nick Place. The Diary of a Young Girl. Hitler's American Gamble. Brendan Simms , Charles Laderman. A House in the Mountains. Yanks and Limeys. Full disclosure - I wasn't able to finish this book, so if you're one of those people who says you can't judge it til you finish, you don't need to read this.
I, however, don't need to get to the end to know I just hated this book, and am writing a review to warn others and remind myself why I didn't finish it. I read a good amount of history stuff in this vein. Not a huge amount, but a lot more than the average American I think, and this is the only one I have come across so far that felt explo Full disclosure - I wasn't able to finish this book, so if you're one of those people who says you can't judge it til you finish, you don't need to read this.
Not a huge amount, but a lot more than the average American I think, and this is the only one I have come across so far that felt exploitative. After the first few chapters I started to feel like Bradley was trying to make a living off of his father's life. I tried to push through, give him the benefit of the doubt, but I got about half way through and the impression just deepened.
That's when I checked the reviews on Goodreads and realized a lot of other people had the same impression. There was just too much of Bradley in it. It's not really their story, it's his, about his "epic" journey to publicize their lives. I can't really point to anything specific in the text, its just the overall impression I get. The other thing that bothers me is that some of the details he shares from these men's lives are very personal.
There's even a few where he talks about how it was a secret that they kept, they never wanted anyone to know, and yet here he is, publishing it for the world to see, making money off it. And a lot of them weren't relevant to the story either, it was just dramatic fodder. And yet, despite the fact that Bradley seems to have made a career out of this picture, he constantly downplays the importance of the moment, saying that they were just in the right or wrong place at the right or wrong time.
That's alright for his father to say, because its his experiences, his life. But you can't go around saying someone else's bravery was just luck. Sure, it was a lot of chance that put them in the actual picture, but the story isn't just the picture. And even if it was, they stand for all the soldiers, all the courage shown and sacrifices made.
Bradley makes it sound like he doesn't think they should really be celebrated, because they just happened to be there. He misses the entire point. As if all that wasn't bad enough, it's badly written, as in literally, the prose is bad. It rambles, its repetitive, it basically reads like a diary entry or a spoken story that hasn't been edited at all. A lot of it sounds kind of like Eat, Pray, Love, where the author is deeply meditating on something internal.
Self-serving crap if you ask me, but I tend to be very literal, so if you find meaning in stuff like that, you may enjoy his writing style. Basically, it was a badly written attempt to make money off someone else's pain.
When six American fighting men raised a United States flag atop Mount Suribachi on February 23, , an Associated Press photographer quickly snapped a photograph that became The Photograph — the most reproduced, most iconic photo ever taken. And it changed forever the lives of all involved in it. Navy corpsman identified as being one of the flagraisers.
Bradley recalls how his father almost never talked about his service in the Second World War — not about the Battle of Iwo Jima, and certainly not about The Photograph. The six flagraisers came from across the United States of America, and reflected the diversity of the American experience.
Mike Strank was a Pennsylvania sergeant who was known and respected for his professionalism and his dedication to his men. Franklin Sousley was a cheerful young man from the Appalachian highlands of Kentucky. Rene Gagnon, from a New Hampshire mill-town family, was known for his darkly handsome looks.
It was the rifleman, surrounded by the screams and the floating corpses of his buddies. It was the rifleman, scared and exposed and unprotected by armor of any sort, peering through the smoke and confusion for a glimpse of an individual enemy. A traditional samurai might expect to die in combat and be honored for it. He might kill himself to atone for a moral mistake or a failure of courage.
That motive made them formidable. But these boys would fight to the death for one another. For one, the flagraising shown in The Photograph was not the first flag-raising of the battle; a first flagraising had occurred earlier on February 23, , but that first flag had been concealed by a Marine officer who did not want that flag taken away from his unit.
Another widely held misconception regarding Iwo Jima is that The Photograph represents the moment of final victory in the battle. The picture has that look, but in fact the battle went on for another month; and three of the flagraisers — Strank, Sousley, and Block — would be among the Americans killed in the battle.
But the American people wanted heroes, and the U. Bradley returned as quickly as possible to quiet civilian life as a funeral director in Wisconsin, and politely turned down all requests for interviews about his war years. Gagnon spent his post-war years waiting, sometimes bitterly, for his celebrity status to bring him a prosperity that never quite materialized.
And Hayes slowly succumbed to alcoholism. Some readers of Flags of Our Fathers will be aware that the U. Marine Corps, after an exhaustive investigation, concluded that the sixth flagraiser shown in The Photograph was not Jack Bradley, but rather was a U. Marine named Howard Schultz. Author James Bradley has said since then that he thinks his father was in the first photograph but believed he was in the second -- not that any of that takes away from Jack Bradley's heroism during the battle.
Perhaps part of the reason why this book speaks to me so strongly is because I live in Northern Virginia, a region where war and its remembrance are so prominent an aspect of the social and cultural landscape. Yesterday, for example, my wife and I took a visiting friend to Arlington National Cemetery. On the way home, we drove by the Iwo Jima Memorial, where Felix de Weldon's sculpture preserves the image from The Photograph as part of the official iconography of the Washington area.
My father, who served in the United States Navy as a lieutenant j. Dec 30, A. This wasn't a happy book, but I'm glad I read it. The author follows the lives of the five Marines and one Navy corpsman who raise the second American flag on Mount Suribachi on Iwo Jima. I've always loved the Rosenthal photo, and the Marine Memorial based on the photo is my favorite in the DC area.
Here are a few of my thoughts on the book: I thought the first part of the book, covering the characters' childhoods, training, and the fight to take hell--I mean Iwo Jima--was better than the second This wasn't a happy book, but I'm glad I read it. Here are a few of my thoughts on the book: I thought the first part of the book, covering the characters' childhoods, training, and the fight to take hell--I mean Iwo Jima--was better than the second part of the book, covering the the post-war period for the survivors.
I like books to finish strong, so that was a bit disappointing. I was vaguely aware that the famous photograph was really of the second "replacement" flag, but it was interesting to read about the details.
The first flag raising was a big deal to all the Marines on the island. The main motivation behind putting up a new flag was because a Marine colonel overheard the Sec. Sending up a flag bigger than the first was an afterthought.
No one on the island thought the second flag-raising was that big of a deal. And the famous photograph--the photographer didn't even look through the camera to grab it. It was just luck. I also didn't know that the battle for Iwo Jima continued on after the photo for a month.
I thought the author had a serious case of hero-worship for his father, one of the three flag-raisers that lived through the battle.
Yes, his father was a wonderful, brave, caring man. I think the author was a little too hard on the other survivors because their post-war lives weren't as great.
I also didn't like the author's conclusion that the flag-raisers weren't heroes. I disagree. Raising the flag wasn't really that special, but their other actions on Iwo Jima and during WWII three of the flag-raisers also fought through Bougainville did make them heroes several times over.
Overall, the author drew too many conclusions--he should have just told the story and let the reader draw his or her own conclusions. Like Band of Brothers , I found the most tragic casualties of war weren't the wounded or even the dead. It was the soldiers who made it back from the war--but never really lived normal lives because of what they experienced. I'm glad we've come a long way with post-traumatic stress disorder since then.
I hope that very soon we won't have cause to go to war anymore. Nov 22, David rated it it was amazing. Like most people, I had no idea what the real context was for the famous photograph of soldiers raising the US flag at Iwo Jima. Nor did I understand the military significance of that campaign, or the cost in lives it required over US soldiers killed and almost 20, wounded; and over 20, Japanese killed.
This book is presented as the story of the 6 men who appear in the photo. The first section gives their backgrounds and life stories, and dragged a bit, but made the rest much more p Like most people, I had no idea what the real context was for the famous photograph of soldiers raising the US flag at Iwo Jima. The last part discusses the aftermath, particularly the struggle to cope emotionally with something as horrific as this kind of battle.
But it's the middle section that grabs your heart. I've never seen such a vivid portrayal of combat, written in a way that portrayed the terror, the strategizing, the campaigns, and especially the incredible bravery and self-sacrifice. You come away with a deep appreciation for the discipline and loyalty of the Marine Corps; for the desperation but willing sacrifice of the Japanese defenders; and for those Americans who were "common men doing uncommon things" - truly heroes, in the purest sense of the word.
I was lucky to read this book on planes to and from Florida, just in time for Memorial Day. Aug 02, Leah rated it really liked it Recommends it for: everyone. I don't often read historical nonfiction, but this book was superb; I was very moved by the countless acts of sacrifice made by the men who fought at Iwo Jima. This is a riveting narrative about the six young American flag raisers in the famed picture. Author James Bradley is the son of corpsman John Bradley one of the men in the photo and it was only after his father's death when he began to piece together culminating events, as his father never talked about the war but for: "The heroes of Iwo I don't often read historical nonfiction, but this book was superb; I was very moved by the countless acts of sacrifice made by the men who fought at Iwo Jima.
Author James Bradley is the son of corpsman John Bradley one of the men in the photo and it was only after his father's death when he began to piece together culminating events, as his father never talked about the war but for: "The heroes of Iwo Jima are the guys who didn't come back. Only three of the six flag-raisers survived the battle. Highly recommended. And don't see the movie, it stinks. Jul 26, Trisha rated it liked it. This was a good book, the intent of the author was good, but I didn't like so many personal comments from him.
I don't care that he stared at the picture that this book is based around for hours at a time in a daze, or any other comments he made like that. I think that the fact that he added those into the book took away from honoring those he was writing about.
It seemed selfish and cocky of him. His personal comments seemed more like a tribute to himself and his intellect than to those who fou This was a good book, the intent of the author was good, but I didn't like so many personal comments from him. His personal comments seemed more like a tribute to himself and his intellect than to those who fought in battle.
Otherwise this book was good, the facts are solid and you are very anxious to find out more and more as the book goes on. I hope this doesn't sound too harsh, but this is how I feel about the book. Bradley's father along with two other men Ira Hayes and Rene Gagnon survived the attack on the island and were sent home on orders from the United States government after a photograph of the scene had been sent home.
The unforgettable picture became a national phenomena and would forever change the lives of the three surviving soldiers. This book is a fascinating read as the author recreates the oral stories of these men from either direct conversation or other sources related to them. The battle scenes described in this book allows the reader to become emotionally invested in the lives of these heroic men. The author holds nothing back when it comes to describing the horrors of pain and death in the battlefields.
Perhaps more impressive and unique is the author's ability to describe the home lives of the three men as they come back from fighting. Each man carries the burden of his trials in their own way.
Again the author does not sugarcoat any of the domestic struggles these men went through. These honest accounts makes the reader reflect upon the misconceptions of glamourizing war, decorated home lives, and the invincible image of heroes. While not taking away from their courage and heroics on the battlefield, the author keeps these men humbled and human by not hiding anything. For example, one man Ira Hayes must deal with the fact that he is a Native American living in a white man's world.
Without his uniform, he is nothing but another Indian drunk in the eyes of the public. This book would not appeal to most young adult readers because of the content inside. Those looking for a John Wayne war story will want to look elsewhere. The imagery is very intense and graphic. The description of the domestic struggles of the three men is also not a pretty picture either, which might turn off some readers looking for a feel good story. Readers interested in the subject will definitely get into this title with no problem, but other than that it would likely take a lot of convincing to find other young adults to pick this one up.
Jul 22, Courtney Burns rated it did not like it Shelves: unfinished. Unreadable: Book begins with the author detailing a trip Iwo Jima with family member where he took great delight in being photographed peeing off the side of the mountain monument dedicated to the battle that took place there. That is right this man by special permission was invited to the Japanese island of Iwo Jima and onto the Japanese military base and stood on a monument dedicated to the thousands of men who fought and died there and decided it would be awesome if he peed on all of it.
I don Unreadable: Book begins with the author detailing a trip Iwo Jima with family member where he took great delight in being photographed peeing off the side of the mountain monument dedicated to the battle that took place there. I don't care if the men who fought there did that in some kind bolstering attempt to deal with what they had and would yet experience, that land is now sacred as the author alludes to in the title of the chapter "Sacred Ground" and you just don't do that.
Imagine if we reversed the situation and the son of one of the pilots who bombed Pearl Harbor was invited to the memorial site and decided to be photographed peeing of one of the monuments or into the water above the Arizona.
And this is what the author wants you to know of himself. Classless, disgusting, and entirely without honor. Sadly the book doesn't get better from there. It is full of repetitions, contradictions, cliches, and outright falsehoods which are then, of course, repeated. The author continually switches from third person to first person even inside the same paragraphs and past tense to present tense. The one boy left out, Rene, was for some reason hated by the author who could barely bring himself to write anything at all about the boy and when he did detailed the varied flaws backed up by general quotes from unnamed "friends.
And my goodness, do a little research, man. The author briefly wonders why Ira the Native American of the group started drinking before the war. Let's see, I wonder if just maybe there is a little research out there about Native Americans and alcohol.
It is too bad that the author couldn't muster up his oft-written abilities of staring into the famous picture to learn everything he needed to know about the men that raised that flag or hear their voices guiding him on his path of research. And while we are on the topic of Ira, there is not a trace of racism mentioned in the entire first half of the book. I don't buy that for a minute.
He did, however, seem to have been able to use this little "research" tool in discovering what the boys were thinking about things they "never discussed with a single living soul. It was poorly researched and poorly written--I imagine this has something to do with the difficulty Bradley faced in getting it published and why no historians military or otherwise were jumping up and down to offer reviews or forwards for the work.
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