James Bradley - Flags of Our Fathers: Heroes of Iwo Jima

Pros: The detailed and heartfelt story describing the valor of five Marines and one Navy man.
Cons: Nothing

I started reading Flags of Our Fathers by James Bradley at the beginning of the summer. I took it on one of my road trips, left it in a rental van and not until my wife recently presented me with another copy for my birthday, did I complete it. I ...

Pros: Story of ordinary people who acted as heroes when heroes were needed.
Cons: Some will have no idea what this book is about, no sense of history.

. "It is a good thing war is so horrible, or we might grow to like it." —Robert E. Lee ...

Pros: A clear vision of duty, devotion...and sacrifice
Cons: Unknown to the majority of Americans today

The tears truly tell the tale. They are neither planned nor avoided....they simply appear in the corner of my eyes and then flow slowly down the front of my face. They are silent to the world, but they offer a window to my mind ...and to my eternally...

Pros: In-depth research, compelling story
Cons: Slightly overboard on emotional manipulation and foreshadowing

Flags of our Fathers is a compelling piece of history. Indeed, I will probably never think of the Marines in quite the same way again. This oral history, this tribute to a group of dedicated men, has instilled a respect in me that I’ll never...

Pros: A gripping, personal battle story
Cons: {This space intentionally left blank}

I don't usually read books about war. Too often the stories of battles focus on strategies, equipment and the military skills or lack thereof of the opposing generals. These books are filled with maps criss-crossed with arrows showing the movements of...

Pros: An untold story of WWII.
Cons: Horrific images of war.

I haven't written a "book report" in many years; always hated to do so. Never understood that imagery business and this really means that and there are seven levels of meaning to this and so on. Just say what you mean.

But it gives me great...

Pros: Portrays a story and scene that many of us have no idea of.
Cons: A little slow getting started.

How often do you read a book that truly moves you? One that is not just interesting, but also educational. "Flags of Our Fathers" is simply the best book I have ever opened.

My parents suggested I read the book back around the holidays. I...

Pros: Personalizes WWII soldiers, Puts historical image in context
Cons: Drags a little in places

The flag raising at Iwo Jima is arguably the most recognizable image of World War II. As a military history buff, I've seen the photo reproduced countless times. But, for all that I admire the power and drama of the image, I never thought much about the...

Pros: Powerful story
Cons: Powerful story

The best battle book I ever read. These stories, from the time the six men who raised the flag at Iwo Jima enlisted, their training, and the landing and subsequent struggle, fill me with awe-Stephen Ambrose The flag raising on Iwo Jima ...

Pros: Excellently written as if the author were there himself. Great omniscient perspective.
Cons: None. A near-perfect historical recollection.

Flags of Our Fathers is simply one of the best books I have ever read and one of the best written books of all time. I am not some war historian who makes it her business to read every book written about WWII, but I bought this book because I found out ...

Pros: Everything
Cons: N/A

"If everything isn't black and white I say, Why the hell not?"
-John Wayne


I'd seen the picture about a million times during my life; in history books, on television, on walls. The massive sculpture re-creation of it at...

Pros: Compelling Reading for All
Cons: none

Stephen Ambrose, who I deeply respect as an author, called it "the best battle book I ever read". No..."Flags of Our Fathers" is so much more than a battle book. This is such an important book that I have struggled against...

Pros: Absorbing personal history
Cons: Not footnoted in the manner of scholarly history

Flags of Our Fathers is the story of the six Iwo Jima flagraisers, written by the son of John "Doc" Bradley, the longest-lived of the six. It is also a history of the hellish battle that took place for over thirty days in 1945 for a worthless...

Pros: Essential history of the Pacific War and American society
Cons: We need more efforts like this

Flags of our Fathers is truly gripping. Once you start reading the stories of the six young marines who were captured in the historic "Flag Raising on Iwo Jima" photo, you won't be able to stop until you've finished. James Bradley does an...

Pros: A thoughtful work showing a son's admiration for his father
Cons: The author's need to elevate the Marines and Iwo Jima above all others

A great read. Bradley's work is thoughtful, demonstrating a son's love, respect, and admiration of his father, and of his father's generation. My father too was involved in a pivotal battle in WWII: D-Day in Normandy. Like Doc Bradley, for years my...