Flags of Our Fathers

By: James Bradley, Ron Powers

Narrated by: Stephen Hoye

Length: 13 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's summary

Flags of Our Fathers is the unforgettable chronicle of perhaps the most famous moment in American military history: the raising of the US flag at Iwo Jima.

Here is the true story behind the immortal photograph that has come to symbolize the courage and indomitable will of America. In February 1945, American Marines plunged into the surf at Iwo Jima - and into history. The son of one of the flag raisers has written a powerful account of six very different men who came together in the heroic battle for the Pacific’s most crucial island.

©2000 James Bradley and Ron Powers (P)2006 Books on Tape

Critic reviews

• Alex Award Winner, 2001

"Voluminous and memorable.... No reader will forget the lesson." (Publishers Weekly)

"Flags of Our Fathers is one of the most instructive and moving books on war and its aftermath that we are likely to see, in part because it is instructive and moving in unexpected ways." (The New York Times)

A Worthy Book With Limitations

I'm very glad I read this because I learned a great deal. I've always respected and appreciated those who fought in WWII, but this thoroughly researched narrative of the battle of Iwo Jima brought home even more how truly heroic all the marines in this nightmare battle were. I appreciate the author's work, but wish he had edited out perhaps a third of the manuscript, as he goes overboard in telling us how heroic his father and companions were, how non-heroic they felt themselves to be, and how relentless the media and public pursuit of them was. If he had related these perceptions only once, rather than literally dozens of times, I think the impact would have been greater. The narrator was excellent, though with a text that overdramatizes some ideas to the point of nausea, it's difficult to subdue the sappiness. I find it ironic that Bradly put so much into researching his father's experience and views, and in the process repeats the mistaken adulation that his father so disliked. I can imagine ol' Dad shaking his head and muttering, "Geez, Son, didn't I leave you with any sense of perspective?" Even with these irritations, the book is an admirable attempt to share the impact of this amazing battle and the incredible spirit required by those who lived and died in it.

Great book

Spell binding and entertaining. Would recommend it to any Lissner. my father-in-law was in some of those battles. So now I have a greater respect for what went on there

Love this story

As a history major I found this story absolutely wonderful that gave a vivid picture what it was like on that island

cut out words to start paragraphs

loved it however the starting or lots of paragraphs were cut out. The story was amazing

"Uncommon valor was a common virtue."

"Uncommon valor was a common virtue." This quote is engraved on the US Marine Corps War Memorial, but it is much more than just a tag line for the Devil Dogs.

James Bradley, the son of Navy Corpsman John Bradley who was one of the six flag raisers, does an excellent job of not only giving a detailed account of the battle for Iwo Jima, but in pulling back the curtain on the ordinary lives of the 6 men who were immortalized in "the photograph".

The author doesn't hold back in giving graphic eye-witness accounts of the horrors of war, including the many PTSD-inducing scenes that his father witnessed as a Corpsman. But more than that, James Bradley went to exhaustive efforts to learn about the men behind the photo - their childhood, their personalities, their pre-war relationships with parents and sweethearts, and their lives as Leathernecks before, during, and after the taking of Mount Suribachi.

Although there's been continued speculation about the true identities of the flag raisers (including the author's father), by the time you finish reading this book, you'll realize that this book isn't so much about the specific men who may or may not have had their hands on the flagpole. You see, those six men could have been any six of the roughly 60,000 marines who landed on that small, volcanic island in 1945. Without exception, they were all selfless, courageous, and willing to put their brothers in arms before their own safety and well-being.

If you want to gain a renewed appreciation and respect for our nation's veterans (both past and present), read this book.

So much more

I didn't realize how much of a story the flag raising had. like more than the battle itself but the lives each individual had after it. I'm glad to learn more about their pasts too. will be occasionally relistening and rewriting.

WOW

Interesting from start to finish and I haven't seen the movie yet.Things that I really wasn't aware of and a look at how the govt likes to create it's own PR for historical events by missing the actual story.....Makes you wonder how long the govt has lied about everything to "raise Moral' at the cost of the individuals actually involved..ala Pat Tillman. The Best thing is that it does a good job of covering the actual battle and not the ceremonial Flag "posing" letting you know the true heroics of those involved in the battle that cost so many lives.

Our Father's

After reading all the publicity regarding this book, I decided to purchase before listening. I am not disappointed! This historic rendering of the events leading up to the planting of the FLAG on Iwo and the controversy surrounding the participants in that event are brought to the fore by the author. Being a former Marine, I was delighted to see the views of others and disappointed in the outcome of several of the lives of those heros of such a tragic battle in our nation's history. I recommend this title to any and all war history buffs and give it two thumbs-up.

One of the best books I've ever read

What made the experience of listening to Flags of Our Fathers the most enjoyable?

The narrator's voice was perfect for this story. A story that most of us thought we knew, some of us probably thought we knew it well. I had no idea of the hell that was Iwo Jima. This story told me for the first time who I really am as an American who has been so richly endowed with Freedom that others would have viciously taken from me if they had the chance. EVERY American needs to read this book before they open their mouth about World War II, and the bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. I had no idea of the slaughter of Chinese before we entered the war, but it gave me an idea of our fate had it not been for the brave Marines and Marine Corpsmen of Iwo. Semper Fi!

What did you like best about this story?

The personal introduction to each of the flag bearers.

Have you listened to any of Stephen Hoye’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, but he was PERFECT for this book.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It made me very solemn for days. I don't have the right to cry, for I wasn't there, but I will always have a place of honor for those that have served and serve today because of this book.

Any additional comments?

Thank you Mr. Bradley for writing this book. Thank you for your careful research, and the respectful way that you told this story. Your father would have been proud.

So moving.

Such a beautiful, sad and inspiring book. I think I'll start it over right now.