Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Flags of Our Fathers
The book I read was from a very interesting perspective. The man who wrote it was the son of one of the six flag raisers in the famous picture taken on the island of Iwo Jima during the Pacific War in WWII. I thought the book was interesting because I could get the before and after effects of the war. James Bradley (the author) focused not just on the battle of Iwo Jima, but who the six soldiers were before the war, so we could understand what they did during the battle, and then for the survivors, how the war effected the rest of their lives. Before reading this book, I never really understood why veterans remained quiet about a life changing experience. The story revealed specific examples of how painful their experience might've been, like his father found his best friend, dead, tortured by the Japanese. The book really showed how the war effected family and the rest of the soldiers lives.
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Great Reflection :)
ReplyDeleteI am so glad you chose this book and gained this new insight because it is often left out of general history courses. I hope that this has inspired you to keep reading- there is so much to be learned that is left out of text books!
Terri-you're terrific. I am so pleased that this book got through to you. I, too, found it difficult to talk about things when I came back from 'Nam. But now that ordinary folk like you know why, I sleep better at night. To be at war is a harrowing experience, one not to be taken lightly by onlookers. Your post reminds me of that terribly depressing (but informative) movie we watched today. It's sad, but it's the truth, and we need to be aware.
ReplyDeleteI also thought this book was really good. And I'm glad that I'm not the only one that was confused alittle bit on why veterans didn't talk much about war, but this book is really insightful and gives a great understanding of that!
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with you in that it is truly hard to understand why and what makes veterans be so quiet. I mean we can all say that yeh they've been through some bad things but in the end, we will probably never experience anything close to what they have. I really respect your decision to read this because as you said it has given you a deeper understanding of what they experience. I think we both know that we will never understand what is truly going on, if we can get a fraction closer maybe it will allow us to be more open and appreciate the veterans more.
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