An Album of Memories

Personal Histories From the Greatest Generation

By: Tom Brokaw

Narrated by: Tom Brokaw

“I cannot go anywhere in America without people wanting to share their wartime experiences....The stories and the lessons have emerged from long-forgotten letters home, from reunions of old buddies and outfits, from unpublished diaries and home-published memoirs....As the stories in this album of memories remind us, it truly was an American experience, from the centers of power to the most humble corners of the land.”
—Tom Brokaw

In this beautiful American family album of stories from the Greatest Generation, the history of life as it was lived during the Depression and World War II comes alive and is preserved in people’s own words. Photographs and time lines also commemorate important dates and events. An Army Air Corps veteran who enlisted in 1941 at age seventeen writes to describe the Bataan Death March. A black nurse tells of her encounter with wartime segregation. Other members of the Greatest Generation describe their war—in such historic episodes as Guadalcanal, the D-Day invasion, the Battle of the Bulge, and Midway—as well as their lives on the home front. Starting with the Depression and Pearl Harbor, moving on through the war years in Europe, in the Pacific, and at home, this unique book preserves a people’s rich historical heritage and the legacy of a nation’s heroism in war and its courage in peace—in the shaping of their lives and of the world we have today.

Critic reviews

Praise for Tom Brokaw’s Greatest Generation books

“It is a tribute to Brokaw’s skill as a reporter that he has managed to elicit so many memorable stories from reticent people.”—The New York Times Book Review

“A sweeping tribute to Americans who saved the world . . . It is impossible to read even a few of these accounts and not be touched.”—Detroit Free Press

“This is my bedtime reading, and that is because it is written with love and grace.”—Frank McCourt, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Angela’s Ashes and ‘Tis

“We more often than not forget that during mankind’s worst moments, the best of us is often on display as well. Brokaw has not forgotten, and he has left us an extremely moving portrait of a generation of remarkable Americans—our better angels.”—Ken Burns

“Tom Brokaw has delivered a gift to this and future generations by bringing us those inspiring personal stories of the average Joes, the GI Joes, the young men and women who served our country and shaped the foundation of postwar America. Although some became famous, most returned to their hometowns dedicated to building an even better world. . . . Tom has held up a mirror to reflect what may be their greatest legacy.”—Steven Spielberg

Good listen

it got a little long but it is worth it to gain perspective. The story helps explain our past. May we be spared more war.

A heart touching story

Mr. Brokaw: I am of the baby boomers generation and have always been fascinated with that generation of the depression/ WWII era. Thank you for finding these extraordinary people with stories that bring this generation into perspective. I have a new outlook on the monumental sacrifice these people gave to secure our freedom. May God bless and keep you Mr. Brokaw and God bless the greatest generation.