Flags of Our Fathers

By: James Bradley, Ron Powers

Narrated by: Barry Bostwick, James Bradley

Length: 6 hrs and 17 mins

Publisher's summary

Now abridged for young people, 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)2000 Random House, Inc., Bantam Doubleday Dell Audio Publishing, A Division of Random House, Inc.; 16 9

Critic reviews

• Nominee for Audio Publishers Association 2001 Audie Award, Nonfiction, Abridged
• Alex Award Winner, 2001

Sinfully mispronounces a critical word throughout

My Uncle Jack Simms was a corpsman on Iwo Jima. This story is a spectacular telling of a major Pacific Theatre battle of WWII.

What makes this difficult to listen to is the continuous mispronunciation of the word "Corpsman". My uncle and every other Marine or Sailor I ever heard pronounce the word
was "CORE-MAN" not "CORPS-MAN".

Other than that the book is great.

Flags of Our Fathers

Considering the writing style of Bradley, it is unbelievable that he is not more well know as a writer of non-ficton. The way he has taken old, almost forgoten documentation and has been able to weave these seperate facts into a story of horror, fear, pain, and heroism almost places the reader into the battle. Some of the realism, on many occasions, brought tears to my eyes. It also brings to light that the failure that we as American citizens have in not properly caring for our war heroes did not start with Iraq, the Gulf Wars, or even Vietnam. The heroes of Iwo Jima and the rest of WWII definatly were victims of our negligence. After hearing this narration of such a well written book, I can hardly wait for Bradley's latest book, "FLYBOYS" to be available on AUDIBLE.COM.

Finally accuracy

I feel as though I finally know my own father. He died at 53 when I was 17 and not interested in history. I never had the chance to know him.

Great Book!

I am not a war buff, in fact I find my war histories boring, but this book was really interesting. It focuses on the personal histories of war heros, rather than just what they did in the war like most books do.

Not just for Men

I found this book to be more than just a re-creation of the hardship of war. It is a poignant human interest story that brings real people to life. It gives a realistic portrayal of men and women who coped with traumatic experiences in varied ways. It is a book that portrays the courage of the human spirit without superficial idealism. Both my husband and I enjoyed this book equally. There are characters in this book I will never forget.

a superb story

This is the story behind the marines who raised the American flag (in the famous photo) during the WWII battle for Iwo Jima. It details their backgrounds, helps us to get to know them a bit better and why they crossed paths during one of the worst battles of the war. It really put a human face on something I'd only read about in history books. It helped to really deepen my respect for the character of those who fought and died so that those of us now could live in freedom today. It also helped give me a better understanding of the depraved culture the Allies fought against and why it needed to be stopped. This a gripping, riveting listen, masterfully read and comes with my strong recommendation.

Respect and honor

A good story and associated history of a dark time in WWII. The country was inspired by a picture that was casually made. The author shows much admiration for his father and the life he lead. He was a good role model for all time. Is reveals some of the realities of war in graphic manner. It is somewhat repetitive in spots and could use a bit of editing to make it smoother.

Heroism despite of human weaknesses

This is a book about ordinary people who accomplished extraordinary things, about the sacrifice they made, and their struggle to move on with all the painful memories.

I was almost moved to tears when the audio book stopped. If there's anything above 5 starts, I would give it.

Flags for our Fathers

This was one of the most inspiring book I have read in a long time. The majority of this country do not have the slightest idea what these brave Americans (Marines) went through. I would strongly recommend that each and every member of the House and Senate read this book. Maybe they would be constantly aware of what makes a young men and women want to put their lives on the line for their county and its freedom.

Great book, subpar narrator

Weighing in on the book, like so many others, I thought it was great.

However, CORPSMAN is pronounced like the CORPS in Marine Corps - the P and the S are silent. The narrator pronounces it inconsistently - wrong much of the time and occasionally, getting it right. Very jarring and frustrating. Cor-man. Cor-man. Cor-man. CorPS-man. Ack.

Bradley was a CORPSMAN, an honorable and distinctive rate. Honor those men by pronouncing it correctly.