The greatest Generation by Tom Brokaw is a book about the experiences of different people during World War II and afterwards. The people who were involved in the war were born during the prosperity of the twenties and then watched the nation plunge into the Great Depression. Many grew up in extreme poverty. Others came from affluent families. Whatever their background, they were all patriotic and wanted to help in the war effort. They came from different backgrounds, had different experiences, and made different kinds of contributions but they all did it because they wanted to. All of these people served their country and contributed to the greatness of America.

In examining the experiences of the World War II generation, Brokaw divides people into different groups. Ordinary People are just that. They are people who made their contributions to the war effort and then returned to their ordinary lives without any fame, celebrity status or fortunes. The Home Front people are those who made their contribution in America by working in the production of war goods industries, government or providing moral support. The Heroes refers to those who won medals for their acts of valor. The section on Women in Uniform and Out looks at the role of women. Some paved the way for women in the military while others worked as nurses. The section entitled Shame looks at the issue of discrimination experienced by racial and cultural minority groups. Love, Marriage, and Commitment looks at the values of the time. Most people who married hastily had marriages that lasted because marriage was considered a lifetime commitment. The sections entitled Famous People and The Arena look at people who attained celebrity status after the war.

Brokaw calls this generation of people The Greatest Generation. They made many contributions to America both during and after the war contributing to the progress and greatness of the country whether it was in public service, politics, medicine, scientific research, journalism, or numerous other fields. They affected the lives of many people and made America what it is.

Brokaw became interested in the people of this era when he covered the fortieth and fiftieth anniversaries of the D-Day invasion in Normandy. It began as just another assignment for Brokaw until he arrived in Normandy and began talking to different people about their experiences. Many have bad memories from the war that they cannot forget and some do not want to talk about their war time experiences. However, Brokaw thinks their stories are worth listening to because of the effects they had in the country. After the war, they obtained educations on the GI Bill and went on to work in various fields.

Brokaw writes an interesting book that many people will find interesting reading. In the course of the book, he examines the issues of changing values and discrimination. The book is rather quick to read and the reader will find the book worth the time spent reading it.