Here in the U.S. today happens to be Memorial Day so I thought I would show my support by posting a review of an appropriate book. After much contemplation I ended up reading Flags of Our Fathers by James Bradley. This book tells the story of the raising of the U.S. flag on Iwo Jima during WWII and the six young men who ended up as the flagraisers in the iconic photograph. To be more specific it explains how each of these six young men: Ira Hayes, Mike Strank, Franklin Sousey, Harlon Block, Rene Gagnon, and John Bradley, joined the military and the series of events that led to them raising the flag in the photo. As part of this it provided their personal history prior to and during the war as well as detailed accounts of what actually happened on the island of Iwo Jima.
Having not been alive and actually seen this battle I can’t tell you for sure exactly how accurate this portrayal is. What I can say is that you can tell just from reading this book that the author, James Bradley, genuinely cared about the topic in question and definitely conducted rather extensive research. As part of that research he seems to have interviewed a rather large amount of marines who participated in that specific battle as well as many family members of those marines and the flagraisers. Probably in large part because of this the book feels authentic and honest in its portrayal of the people and events it covers. It also does its best to not gloss over the horrid, sad, and depressing details frequently associated with any book that covers war. At the same time it remains personal as best it can. I say that because it frequently includes little anecdotes about various marines who were on Iwo Jima. Things they remember saying and doing while there that really add an extra layer to the story. It is not a bunch of dry facts and figures but is a collection of stories all interwoven into this much larger narrative of what happened. While the events it depicts are horrific in many ways this layer of humanity helps to soften it so that it doesn’t feel as horrific as it probably was. Don’t get me wrong, it does frequently include the facts, figures and statistics but that is not all that it includes. I greatly enjoyed how well it blends these two elements together to create something that while not necessarily enjoyable to read is still superbly well written and overall fascinating. This book is a genuinely moving true account of a rather horrific battle along with the events leading up to it and the eventual aftermath by framing it from the perspectives of the people who were actually there. I am giving this book 4.5 out of 5 stars.
This book is a great example of a piece of military history non-fiction. If that happens to be a genre you enjoy than I would definitely recommend you try this particular book as it appears to be a superb example of the genre. Even if you don’t enjoy that genre you still might consider reading this book for the same reason I did, to help support veterans by making sure their stories are not forgotten. I will state that due to the events portrayed in this book it is frequently graphic and depicts large amounts of violence. As such it may not be for everyone so if you think you will struggle with the content you might consider thinking twice before actually reading this book. For the same reason I will also suggest that younger readers be careful before reading this. I think this is the kind of book that should be read more frequently but I think it should be read mostly by adults or older teens at best. The contents may not sit well with a lot of younger readers. Overall, it is still a good book but I would highly suggest that potential readers keep these warnings in mind. As a side note, if you happen to know of any other good books that would be good for a Memorial Day collection feel free to leave your recommendations and other thoughts in the comments.