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A Long Way From Home: Growing Up in the American Heartland
Greatest Generation author Tom Brokaw reflects on his South Dakota boyhood and the distinctly American values that shaped his world in this elegantly crafted memoir of life in the heartland.
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First published January 1, 2002
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About the author
Tom Brokaw
102 books177 followersThomas John Brokaw is an American television journalist and author, previously working on regularly scheduled news documentaries for the NBC television network, and is the former NBC News anchorman and managing editor of the program NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw. His last broadcast as anchorman was on December 1, 2004, succeeded by Brian Williams in a carefully planned transition. In the later part of Tom Brokaw's tenure, NBC Nightly News became the most watched cable or broadcast news program in the United States. Brokaw also hosted, wrote, and moderated special programs on a wide range of topics. Throughout his career, he has been the recipient of numerous awards and honors.
Brokaw serves on the Howard University School of Communications Board of Visitors and on the boards of trustees of the University of South Dakota, the Norton Simon Museum, the American Museum of Natural History and the International Rescue Committee. As well as his television journalism, he has written for periodicals and has authored books. He still works at NBC as a Special Correspondent.
Brokaw serves on the Howard University School of Communications Board of Visitors and on the boards of trustees of the University of South Dakota, the Norton Simon Museum, the American Museum of Natural History and the International Rescue Committee. As well as his television journalism, he has written for periodicals and has authored books. He still works at NBC as a Special Correspondent.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 147 reviews
June 14, 2025
Now, at age 76, I am a long way from home - but at the same time, so very close to it!
Just like Tom Brokaw’s darn-the-torpedoes parents, my Dad and Mom were card-carrying members of the Greatest Generation.
Bless them, they wanted their kids to be just like them.
Sometimes, though, stuff happens.
Being the oldest, I was taught that I, too, had it in me to be Great. I was like Muhammad Ali, I was the Greatest.
Yikes!
Trouble is, I just didn’t have Ali’s quick reflexes or KO wallops. There I was, a clumsy, ordinary kid trying to work wonders with my dozy little brain.
And stuff happens.
Away from home, I was the unhonoured recipient of many a Darwin Award and, for my pains, was served a steady diet of Humility Sandwiches with side orders of Embarrassment.
Sorry, Tom - I just didn’t have your gifts.
And you can’t go far on loads of sensitivity and intuition, with no street smarts.
But you know what? In the end, I learned that, as it turned out, I didn’t HAVE to go so far!
I learned that if you believe, you’ll eventually have eyes to see.
And then - maybe, just maybe - you’ll know as you are known. And you’ll see what’s right there, all around you - as if for the very FIRST time.
You’ll see that the most lasting crowns of success are truth, beauty and goodness.
And Real Happiness? It’s right here in the present.
You’ll see that love is not a thing that happens to your body, but to your heart and to your soul.
Love’s not about achieving something, Tom, it’s about just being there.
And, you’ll see that If you’re searching for meaning, you just might find it - right there in your heart, where you left it so very long ago, and not in the outward trappings of success.
No, Tom - I just can’t agree with you.
And no one really has to go such “a long way from home”’to find it!
For as my life nears its end, day by day, I’ve rediscovered the place I started from, and I now know it for the first time - with all its veils torn away.
It’s a simple place, without any pushing or shoving.
It’s so very good.
And it’s Home!
Just like Tom Brokaw’s darn-the-torpedoes parents, my Dad and Mom were card-carrying members of the Greatest Generation.
Bless them, they wanted their kids to be just like them.
Sometimes, though, stuff happens.
Being the oldest, I was taught that I, too, had it in me to be Great. I was like Muhammad Ali, I was the Greatest.
Yikes!
Trouble is, I just didn’t have Ali’s quick reflexes or KO wallops. There I was, a clumsy, ordinary kid trying to work wonders with my dozy little brain.
And stuff happens.
Away from home, I was the unhonoured recipient of many a Darwin Award and, for my pains, was served a steady diet of Humility Sandwiches with side orders of Embarrassment.
Sorry, Tom - I just didn’t have your gifts.
And you can’t go far on loads of sensitivity and intuition, with no street smarts.
But you know what? In the end, I learned that, as it turned out, I didn’t HAVE to go so far!
I learned that if you believe, you’ll eventually have eyes to see.
And then - maybe, just maybe - you’ll know as you are known. And you’ll see what’s right there, all around you - as if for the very FIRST time.
You’ll see that the most lasting crowns of success are truth, beauty and goodness.
And Real Happiness? It’s right here in the present.
You’ll see that love is not a thing that happens to your body, but to your heart and to your soul.
Love’s not about achieving something, Tom, it’s about just being there.
And, you’ll see that If you’re searching for meaning, you just might find it - right there in your heart, where you left it so very long ago, and not in the outward trappings of success.
No, Tom - I just can’t agree with you.
And no one really has to go such “a long way from home”’to find it!
For as my life nears its end, day by day, I’ve rediscovered the place I started from, and I now know it for the first time - with all its veils torn away.
It’s a simple place, without any pushing or shoving.
It’s so very good.
And it’s Home!
January 17, 2019
“Tell me where you come from and I will tell you what you are.” Saul Bellow
This is the theme of the book. Tom Brokaw looks at his youth in South Dakota in the 1940s and 50s.
Brokaw is today a well-known television journalist. He has been the managing editor and anchor for NBC Nightly News for twenty-two years. In this book he writes not only of his own youth, but also of his parents and grandparents. Each generation influences the next. He writes of life on the Great Plains, the work ethic and the moral code by which he was raised. He was born in 1940 in Webster, South Dakota. We follow him through to the early 1960s. In 1962 he married Meredith Lynn Auld, a girl he had had his eye on for many a year. After their marriage they move east, but their upbringing on the Great Plains shaped them forever.
“All regions and all eras influence those who live in them.”
This is a line taken from the book.
While the book is about Brokaw, it will also speak to those of us who grew up in the 1940s and 1950s in the Midwest.
Brokaw’s prose is simple and clear. Historical events are woven in, but not excessively. He speaks of political and historical events that came to influence him. He speaks of race and women’s rights. His mother was strong-willed and all three of her sons were raised to know how to cook, clean, iron and do all those chores often relegated to women.
In closing, when he moves East, he says:
”We managed to keep our bearings because of the way and the place in which we had been raised. Since that muggy night in August 1962 we have come to many more bridges into the unknown and we have learned that crossing them is almost always more rewarding than staying on the familiar side of the river.”
I like Brokaw’s prose and easily relate to what he says.
Don Cashman narrates the audiobook. He does a marvelous job. He reads slowly and clearly, exactly how I like a book to be read. I have given the narration performance five stars. I cannot help but wonder why though Brokaw has not chosen to read the audiobook himself.
I definitely recommend this book, not only to learn about Brokaw but also because how he was raised will speak to readers of his generation. I have no real complaints, only that perhaps it could have gone further. How it was to acclimatize to the NYC scene is not covered.
This is the theme of the book. Tom Brokaw looks at his youth in South Dakota in the 1940s and 50s.
Brokaw is today a well-known television journalist. He has been the managing editor and anchor for NBC Nightly News for twenty-two years. In this book he writes not only of his own youth, but also of his parents and grandparents. Each generation influences the next. He writes of life on the Great Plains, the work ethic and the moral code by which he was raised. He was born in 1940 in Webster, South Dakota. We follow him through to the early 1960s. In 1962 he married Meredith Lynn Auld, a girl he had had his eye on for many a year. After their marriage they move east, but their upbringing on the Great Plains shaped them forever.
“All regions and all eras influence those who live in them.”
This is a line taken from the book.
While the book is about Brokaw, it will also speak to those of us who grew up in the 1940s and 1950s in the Midwest.
Brokaw’s prose is simple and clear. Historical events are woven in, but not excessively. He speaks of political and historical events that came to influence him. He speaks of race and women’s rights. His mother was strong-willed and all three of her sons were raised to know how to cook, clean, iron and do all those chores often relegated to women.
In closing, when he moves East, he says:
”We managed to keep our bearings because of the way and the place in which we had been raised. Since that muggy night in August 1962 we have come to many more bridges into the unknown and we have learned that crossing them is almost always more rewarding than staying on the familiar side of the river.”
I like Brokaw’s prose and easily relate to what he says.
Don Cashman narrates the audiobook. He does a marvelous job. He reads slowly and clearly, exactly how I like a book to be read. I have given the narration performance five stars. I cannot help but wonder why though Brokaw has not chosen to read the audiobook himself.
I definitely recommend this book, not only to learn about Brokaw but also because how he was raised will speak to readers of his generation. I have no real complaints, only that perhaps it could have gone further. How it was to acclimatize to the NYC scene is not covered.
October 22, 2022
Absolutely brilliant. Even if you are not a fan of Tom Brokaw, his book crystalizes a long-gone period of American history from an unbiased view.
November 7, 2017
The American TV personality writes of his humble beginnings in South Dakota amid his working-class family in farm country. Many aspects of his upbringing are all too familiar to me. A father who never got past grade 6 before he went to work full time, parents who grew up in the height of the Depression and maintained that mindset for the rest of their lives. The Protestant Work Ethic hard at play which meant precious little play. For Tom sports, hunting and fishing learned with his buddies’ dads.
The book is peppered throughout with pictures that in e-book format fail to display well on a small screen. Since I had a similar upbringing I’ve always failed to understand the stratification of high school teenage society. There were three of us in my grade in the one-room school neither of which I particularly liked. To have friends and playmates I had to associate with the people at hand even if they were my ninety-something grandfather and great uncle.
There's an aw shucks aspect to this tome. How did I get to earning 8 million/year?
The book is peppered throughout with pictures that in e-book format fail to display well on a small screen. Since I had a similar upbringing I’ve always failed to understand the stratification of high school teenage society. There were three of us in my grade in the one-room school neither of which I particularly liked. To have friends and playmates I had to associate with the people at hand even if they were my ninety-something grandfather and great uncle.
There's an aw shucks aspect to this tome. How did I get to earning 8 million/year?
March 10, 2023
As a self-confessed retrophile, I enjoyed the stew out of this book. Although Brokaw was born two decades before I was, I can identify with many of the experiences and values of his life. Brokaw was born in 1940, and before I had even read his book, I had often thought that 1940 was the optimum year to be born for someone like me who loves America and loves the zeitgeist of the United States in the Fifties and early Sixties. I would have given the book five stars had Brokaw not taken a two-chapter detour in which he gives his modern critique of how women and Indians were mistreated in the region and time when he came of age. Although his observations are no doubt true, I was reading the book for nostalgia, not for a commentary filled with anachronistic judgment over another age and culture. Overall, however, this micro memoir is very heartwarming, endearing, and satisfying.
April 28, 2009
I'm not a big fan of Tom Brokaw, but I did enjoy reading his autobiography. Growing up in a small South Dakota town, Brokaw never dreamed that his life would become as successful as it has. He gives the reader an intimate look at the people and places that shaped his life. He truly has come a long way from home. Interesting read!
July 14, 2015
Good account of his early life. Boy from working class family in South Dakota eventually makes good!
December 17, 2010
Brokaw's autobiography is best when he focuses less on himself, and more on the geography, culture, and people that shaped his life. Though I always have respected his reporting, this book reads just a little too much like a personal scorecard in which the protagonist triumphs over every obstacle. But I did enjoy getting a glimpse into the experience of growing up in post-WWII South Dakota.
October 16, 2015
I like Brokaw; I liked him as an anchor, I liked him as an historian in Greatest Generation, and I like him as s memoirist. My copy of this is dog-eared with inspirational narrative descriptions and stories.
January 8, 2020
I have followed Brokaw for a lot of his career. I love his writing style, and was hugely fond of his "The Greatest Generation" this was an excellent piece of work. Really have admired it for a long time.
Reflections on America and the American experience as he has lived and observed it by the bestselling author of The Greatest Generation, whose iconic career in journalism has spanned more than fifty years
From his parents’ life in the Thirties, on to his boyhood along the Missouri River and on the prairies of South Dakota in the Forties, into his early journalism career in the Fifties and the tumultuous Sixties, up to the present, this personal story is a reflection on America in our time. Tom Brokaw writes about growing up and coming of age in the heartland, and of the family, the people, the culture and the values that shaped him then and still do today.
His father, Red Brokaw, a genius with machines, followed the instincts of Tom’s mother Jean, and took the risk of moving his small family from an Army base to Pickstown, South Dakota, where Red got a job as a heavy equipment operator in the Army Corps of Engineers’ project building the Ft. Randall dam along the Missouri River. Tom Brokaw describes how this move became the pivotal decision in their lives, as the Brokaw family, along with others after World War II, began to live out the American Dream: community, relative prosperity, middle class pleasures and good educations for their children.
“Along the river and in the surrounding hills, I had a Tom Sawyer boyhood,” Brokaw writes; and as he describes his own pilgrimage as it unfolded—from childhood to love, marriage, the early days in broadcast journalism, and beyond—he also reflects on what brought him and so many Americans of his generation to lead lives a long way from home, yet forever affected by it.
“[A] love letter to the . . . people and places that enriched a ‘Tom Sawyer boyhood.’ Brokaw . . . has a knack for delivering quirky observations on small-town life. . . . Bottom line: Tom’s terrific.”—People
One thing I especially like is that he writes with pure honesty.
“Brokaw evokes a sense of community, a pride of citizenship, and a confidence in American ideals that will impress his readers.” Highly Recommend.
Reflections on America and the American experience as he has lived and observed it by the bestselling author of The Greatest Generation, whose iconic career in journalism has spanned more than fifty years
From his parents’ life in the Thirties, on to his boyhood along the Missouri River and on the prairies of South Dakota in the Forties, into his early journalism career in the Fifties and the tumultuous Sixties, up to the present, this personal story is a reflection on America in our time. Tom Brokaw writes about growing up and coming of age in the heartland, and of the family, the people, the culture and the values that shaped him then and still do today.
His father, Red Brokaw, a genius with machines, followed the instincts of Tom’s mother Jean, and took the risk of moving his small family from an Army base to Pickstown, South Dakota, where Red got a job as a heavy equipment operator in the Army Corps of Engineers’ project building the Ft. Randall dam along the Missouri River. Tom Brokaw describes how this move became the pivotal decision in their lives, as the Brokaw family, along with others after World War II, began to live out the American Dream: community, relative prosperity, middle class pleasures and good educations for their children.
“Along the river and in the surrounding hills, I had a Tom Sawyer boyhood,” Brokaw writes; and as he describes his own pilgrimage as it unfolded—from childhood to love, marriage, the early days in broadcast journalism, and beyond—he also reflects on what brought him and so many Americans of his generation to lead lives a long way from home, yet forever affected by it.
“[A] love letter to the . . . people and places that enriched a ‘Tom Sawyer boyhood.’ Brokaw . . . has a knack for delivering quirky observations on small-town life. . . . Bottom line: Tom’s terrific.”—People
One thing I especially like is that he writes with pure honesty.
“Brokaw evokes a sense of community, a pride of citizenship, and a confidence in American ideals that will impress his readers.” Highly Recommend.
November 23, 2024
A Long Way From Home took a minimal amount of space on my shelf for a number of years being passed over for what I thought would be a more desirable read. It was a book I rescued from my parent’s shelf when they were minimizing their collection a number of years ago. Little did I know that the book gods had my best interest at heart, in claiming the book for myself, and then in letting it sit for a period of time, knowing that I had now reached an age where I could relate to many of the growing up experiences and appreciate many similar family life situations. I found myself smiling and laughing upon hearing Tom Brokaw’s stories that shaped his childhood years, through his highschool years of life. Listening to him recall the behaviors of frugality his family practiced, being survivors of the Great Depression themselves, I remember that being a part of my growing up years, also. Many similarities, though some differences, as well. His home in South Dakota did not have television service. Where I grew up we were watching Howdy Doody and the Mouseketeers. Where Tom grew up, he was listening to Burns and Allen and Jack Benny on the radio. There were many parallels throughout the book addressing different stages in one’s life. He spoke of neighborhood games organized by the kids themselves. School activities, family outings, hanging out with friends, and so on. If you are one who would enjoy a journey down memory lane, this might be a book of choice for you. Tom was a good kid, sibling, and friend. He had his problems like most kids do overtime. As for me, I could relate to those periods of time, as well, and fortunately, having come out on the other end of things, a better person. As, did he. Thank you, book gods for having me wait.
April 6, 2025
To me, this book seemed to be an idealized look at growing up in the mid-twentieth century Midwest. Basically, Brokaw relives his adolescent years as a star athlete who enjoyed great popularity. However, Brokaw does pay homage to his hard-working, blue collar parents whose work ethic helped propel him in life. I respect Brokaw’s many accomplishments in his illustrious career and, therefore, I appreciate the nurturing environment that produced such a man.
August 12, 2017
A memoir of growing up in South Dakota in the 1940s and 1950s that is a clear reflection that time and place are important influences in shaping an individual's world view. A very enjoyable read.
November 15, 2019
This book is somewhat of a follow-up to "The Greatest Generation". It details the author's experiences growing up a child of that era. It is a solid book, but not an overly engrossing read. It is short and only took a couple of days to read as it lacks detail in a number of chapters.
I have also posted my review on Goodreads, Amazon and my review blog. I also posted it to my Facebook page.
I have also posted my review on Goodreads, Amazon and my review blog. I also posted it to my Facebook page.
January 17, 2013
A review from my old blog...
Having read Brokaw's Greatest Generation books I knew that I would not have to suffer from a pedestrian writing style. On the other hand I didn't know what exactly to expect in autobiography.
I was pleasantly surprised.
Brokaw frames his own story in the historical background of the area in which he grew up, his parents and the nation as a whole. Being the history lover that I am I appreciated Brokaw's sense that all of his major accolades as the anchor of NBC news was not the important marks of his life.
In many senses I am slightly wary of autobiographies and what the author chooses to emphasize. When a person writes of his own importance I often wonder just how important this person is.
When, in the case of Tom Brokaw, a person who has achieved many important achievements, the author downplays his success--practically ignores it--I gain an increased sense of appreciation.
Having read Brokaw's Greatest Generation books I knew that I would not have to suffer from a pedestrian writing style. On the other hand I didn't know what exactly to expect in autobiography.
I was pleasantly surprised.
Brokaw frames his own story in the historical background of the area in which he grew up, his parents and the nation as a whole. Being the history lover that I am I appreciated Brokaw's sense that all of his major accolades as the anchor of NBC news was not the important marks of his life.
In many senses I am slightly wary of autobiographies and what the author chooses to emphasize. When a person writes of his own importance I often wonder just how important this person is.
When, in the case of Tom Brokaw, a person who has achieved many important achievements, the author downplays his success--practically ignores it--I gain an increased sense of appreciation.
September 6, 2017
South Dakota is not a common setting in the book world, so I was glad to find Tom Brokaw's memoir for my US States Reading Challenge. Since I am only a few years younger and also grew up in a small town, non-urban area, I could relate to much of Tom's life experiences through the college years. Luckily, our area did have TV in time to enjoy the Mickey Mouse Club! Unlike me, Tom Brokaw had many people who criss-crossed his life and that made for interesting reading.
I have been on a road trip through the Badlands and the Black Hills and toured the Corn Palace, but those places are only 1/3 of the state. As surprising as it was to me about how little I knew about South Dakota, it was more surprising to discover how little of the history of their state and Native Americans was taught in South Dakota schools during the 50s and 60s. (I have a feeling that my PA history class in junior high was full of omissions, too.)
I have been on a road trip through the Badlands and the Black Hills and toured the Corn Palace, but those places are only 1/3 of the state. As surprising as it was to me about how little I knew about South Dakota, it was more surprising to discover how little of the history of their state and Native Americans was taught in South Dakota schools during the 50s and 60s. (I have a feeling that my PA history class in junior high was full of omissions, too.)
October 19, 2014
This is a great autobiography of a famous broadcaster as he is growing up in South Dakota. He always was a fair reporter of the news without much of the commentary which viewers get today and it may be because he did not grow up with a sense of entitlement. The only entitlement he had was being born a white male. In today's climate that may be all a person needs to be entitled, but this story is pre-Civil Rights. His father was s hard-working laborer without any formal schooling. His mother did not go to college, but married at the end of The Great Depression. Brokaw does not judge his ancestors for their decisions not his neighbors. He admits to his own youthful failings and what he has tried to make up for in the forty years since he left South Dakota for New York City.
August 10, 2012
This is a really good read about Tom Brokaw's literal and mental trip back to South Dakota home ground where he was born and raised. He gives a historical and descriptive analysis of what made South Dakota what it is today, and the people who settled it, and it's present day population. He makes the point well that he doesn't want to go back and live there, because his life has taken him to much broader horizons, and he's lived in New York a very long time. That is home to him, and yet,his South Dakota heritage is what shaped him into the person he is today. I have enjoyed this raad very much.
August 13, 2025
Little Free Library find. This is a short memoir by Tom Brokaw, covering his childhood and young adult years growing up in South Dakota in the 1940s and 50s.
His grandparents settled in South Dakota in the late 1800s, opening an inn called the Brokaw House. His father Red was the youngest of 10, quitting school after 2nd grade to go to work. He worked a variety of odd jobs in the hotel and other places, struggling through the depression era. He made an unlikely match with outgoing and studious Jean Conley and they married in 1938.
Red worked various construction jobs and ended up working for the Army Corps of Engineers constructing an ordinance depot. They valued him so much that they insisted he stay rather than join the Navy when he was drafted in WWII.
That job led to another working on the Fort Randall Dam in the "company town" of Pickston, SD. The family, which now included Tom and 2 younger brothers, lived there until Tom was in high school. The dam was completed and the family moved to Yankton, a small city nearby.
He recounts his adventures and challenges growing up in what is basically Happy Days on the Prairie. My mother is 8 years older and grew up in a similar small town in Ohio, so it was very familiar to me. Both of them grew up in sort of isolated small towns but had little fear or trouble navigating the larger world as adults. He writes lovingly of his family and childhood while also acknowledging their shortcomings.
While life has certainly changed since that time, I think our attitude towards it has changed even more. I really enjoyed this and will be on the lookout for his other books.
"
His grandparents settled in South Dakota in the late 1800s, opening an inn called the Brokaw House. His father Red was the youngest of 10, quitting school after 2nd grade to go to work. He worked a variety of odd jobs in the hotel and other places, struggling through the depression era. He made an unlikely match with outgoing and studious Jean Conley and they married in 1938.
Red worked various construction jobs and ended up working for the Army Corps of Engineers constructing an ordinance depot. They valued him so much that they insisted he stay rather than join the Navy when he was drafted in WWII.
That job led to another working on the Fort Randall Dam in the "company town" of Pickston, SD. The family, which now included Tom and 2 younger brothers, lived there until Tom was in high school. The dam was completed and the family moved to Yankton, a small city nearby.
He recounts his adventures and challenges growing up in what is basically Happy Days on the Prairie. My mother is 8 years older and grew up in a similar small town in Ohio, so it was very familiar to me. Both of them grew up in sort of isolated small towns but had little fear or trouble navigating the larger world as adults. He writes lovingly of his family and childhood while also acknowledging their shortcomings.
While life has certainly changed since that time, I think our attitude towards it has changed even more. I really enjoyed this and will be on the lookout for his other books.
"
July 24, 2022
I chose this book because I've always like Tom Brokaw. I like his reporting, his professionalism, the fact that he's been married to the same woman for his entire life, and his love for his family.
I was able to witness his interaction with his one daughter at a small, intimate restaurant in Vermont when our table was close to his. The restaurant was dimly lit, but when we heard his voice, there's no denying who was speaking! We did not invade his privacy, but it was really insightful to watch his interactions with his daughter and the other people at his table.
His book followed right along that same path with his discussion of his own family growing up and the values that were instilled in him for hard work, honesty and humility. For many, those values are hard to maintain when you're rich and famous. I loved this accounting of his life growing up and his stories of family and friends and the influence they had on his life.
Tom is a great writer, no surprise there, and I charged through the pages quickly wanting to know more about how growing up in South Dakota shaped his life. I haven't read The Greatest Generation yet, but it's being added to my TBR list now.
I was able to witness his interaction with his one daughter at a small, intimate restaurant in Vermont when our table was close to his. The restaurant was dimly lit, but when we heard his voice, there's no denying who was speaking! We did not invade his privacy, but it was really insightful to watch his interactions with his daughter and the other people at his table.
His book followed right along that same path with his discussion of his own family growing up and the values that were instilled in him for hard work, honesty and humility. For many, those values are hard to maintain when you're rich and famous. I loved this accounting of his life growing up and his stories of family and friends and the influence they had on his life.
Tom is a great writer, no surprise there, and I charged through the pages quickly wanting to know more about how growing up in South Dakota shaped his life. I haven't read The Greatest Generation yet, but it's being added to my TBR list now.
March 15, 2025
Author Tom Brokaw gives us a book that starts in the 1960’s. This book --- when it shows a picture on the first piece of this book – gets us to the themes are more than pictures of boys in baseball. And every chapter has a set of themes that the time’s the one time when we are in other times of things.
Like many books, there’s one label for the name of the book and then there’s a second label for the book. In this book there is A Long Way from Home and then it’s Growing up in the American Heartland.
Brokaw tells some stories of his family, with a strong focus on his mom. And there are many pages that show how his growing up in the Dakota’s.
And the last parts of the book go into what happened in that day of the very powerful “September 11” in our lives.
Yes the book is from 2002. But it is still a good story.
Like many books, there’s one label for the name of the book and then there’s a second label for the book. In this book there is A Long Way from Home and then it’s Growing up in the American Heartland.
Brokaw tells some stories of his family, with a strong focus on his mom. And there are many pages that show how his growing up in the Dakota’s.
And the last parts of the book go into what happened in that day of the very powerful “September 11” in our lives.
Yes the book is from 2002. But it is still a good story.
November 30, 2022
What can I say? I liked this book. I like memoirs. I liked reading about this time period (not far removed from my own) and the environs and denizens of South Dakota (more removed). I have no reason not to like Tom Brokaw. He admits he had advantages in his life and often was in the right place at the right time. He also worked hard and had a thirst for knowledge (and gift of gab) that served him well. He seemed like he could be a bit of a screwup and a cutup, but it seems he matured pretty well haha. He always seemed to come out on top even with adversity (or maybe because of adversity). It's hard not to judge the individual (which in this case is still favorable); my book review is also favorable. I had a strong interest in the wisdom of his commentaries and observations/reflections.
November 5, 2023
Very calming, like Murder She Wrote on a Sunday night. Or Anne of Green Gables or Little House on the Prairie.
Great insight into a slice of life in South Dakota in the Forties and Fifties.
"For as long as I or anyone in my family can remember, I have been a chatterbox, someone with a verbal facility and an eager attitude about exercising it. In the culture in which I was raised, that was a curious trait; most of the inhabitants were strong silent types, people who let their work speak for them. I suppose I got rather used to having the floor, because no one else much wanted it." :*)
Great insight into a slice of life in South Dakota in the Forties and Fifties.
"For as long as I or anyone in my family can remember, I have been a chatterbox, someone with a verbal facility and an eager attitude about exercising it. In the culture in which I was raised, that was a curious trait; most of the inhabitants were strong silent types, people who let their work speak for them. I suppose I got rather used to having the floor, because no one else much wanted it." :*)
November 18, 2017
A solid 3.5. I enjoyed the second half of this book more than the first half for some reason. I wish Brokaw had narrated this memoir; I think this expectation
Impacted my enjoyment of this audiobook. The chronology got a little confusing at times. He spoke of his many jobs during his teen years...so much so that I would be surprised that he was still just 16. Still , it was an enjoyable read and fascinating to see how his upbringing and the events of the era shaped his life.
Impacted my enjoyment of this audiobook. The chronology got a little confusing at times. He spoke of his many jobs during his teen years...so much so that I would be surprised that he was still just 16. Still , it was an enjoyable read and fascinating to see how his upbringing and the events of the era shaped his life.
November 22, 2017
South Dakota Story
When I first read this book I was very unhappy with it because Tom Brokaw described his life as a happy, ambitious one. He was describing the life of a privileged white boy of the 1950s. Since I was female of the same time, I could not appreciate the story and stopped reading it. Later on I came back to it and discovered he could be serious and he understood those of us who were left behind.
When I first read this book I was very unhappy with it because Tom Brokaw described his life as a happy, ambitious one. He was describing the life of a privileged white boy of the 1950s. Since I was female of the same time, I could not appreciate the story and stopped reading it. Later on I came back to it and discovered he could be serious and he understood those of us who were left behind.
September 19, 2019
A short read about the early years of Tom Brokaw and so much about South Dakota. It typically reads like just about anyone's growing up time from that era. His generation and ours in the Midwest was about hard work, struggling to make ends meet, and a future we were not sure of. We all have been there with decisions about a direction to take with our lives and the bumps along the way. It was an easy read and I felt like I was getting to know a famous Tom Brokaw and what really made him.
September 18, 2021
I like Mr. Brokaw but I just wasn't that excited about this book. I read it because it was the choice of our book club. I'm sure I would have enjoyed it more but I was reading It by Stephan King at the same time. Doing this was like switching between a vampire movie and an episode of The Waltons-they're both really good but the scary one is really keepng you spellbound while the other one pales in comparison!
November 1, 2018
I do not read non-fiction books. This was a delight. It talked about South Dakota and the various jobs he held. It talked about race and the Indians and the progress women have made. I understand the upbringing and the love of Meridath. Good book and it was easy going. I like his style of writing.
December 31, 2018
I picked up this book because I enjoyed Doris Kearns Goodwin’s memoir and in large part my assumption was correct.
Goodwin grew up in Brooklyn and Brokaw in South Dakota at roughly the same time. Their perspectives could not be more different, but the core the same. Family, hard work and community was the center of their lives. An interesting read.
Goodwin grew up in Brooklyn and Brokaw in South Dakota at roughly the same time. Their perspectives could not be more different, but the core the same. Family, hard work and community was the center of their lives. An interesting read.
July 31, 2019
Have always been impressed with Tom Brokaw’s style - believe he is an honest, fair broadcast journalist, showing favoritism to neither political party nor person. This book did not disappoint. In fact, enjoyed it so much I checked out, A LUCKY LIFE INTERRUPTED, from Library today when returning this book.
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