The Greatest Generation Captured in a Gem
I just finished reading Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand. Wow. My Goodreads review appears here==> http://is.gd/4l2WvE. The story of Louis Zamperini is worthy of telling in a big book like this one. He's still with us at 95, and sharp as a tack, I'm told by my Facebook friends. I believe it was the TV newsman Tom Brokaw who coined the "greatest generation" term to describe the WW II generation. Now I have a better appreciation of it.
One thing Laura Hillenbrand does is offer a penetrating look at the difficulties the WW II POWs faced with their homecoming. Lots of physical ailments on top of their emotional/psychological scars made their lives extraordinarily hard. For some reason, my perception was they just fought the war and returned to their old lives and everything just flowed from there. Not so for all of the vets.
This book took seven years to write. That's a big chunk of time, but the important story it tells is well-deserving of the considerable effort made. Plus, I'm always a fan of that time period if just from a historical perspective. Check out the book.
One thing Laura Hillenbrand does is offer a penetrating look at the difficulties the WW II POWs faced with their homecoming. Lots of physical ailments on top of their emotional/psychological scars made their lives extraordinarily hard. For some reason, my perception was they just fought the war and returned to their old lives and everything just flowed from there. Not so for all of the vets.
This book took seven years to write. That's a big chunk of time, but the important story it tells is well-deserving of the considerable effort made. Plus, I'm always a fan of that time period if just from a historical perspective. Check out the book.
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Michele
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Jul 01, 2012 07:09AM
my dad was born in 1914: survived diptheria, the spanish influenza, the depression, WWII and 2 daughters , 2 willful daughters. died at 86. they grew them tough. I think it was the lack of junk food in their diets and the lack of modern conveniences until the 1950s.
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Michele wrote: "my dad was born in 1914: survived diptheria, the spanish influenza, the depression, WWII and 2 daughters , 2 willful daughters. died at 86. they grew them tough. I think it was the lack of junk foo..."You know, I really can buy into your good diet idea. It seems to make a difference in making long lives. Thanks.
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