[review]Flags of our fathers: James Bradley

Summary in Brief:

Name: Flags of our Fathers

Author: James Bradley

Movie: Same name of the book, directed by Clint Eastwood.

War Theater: Pacific: Iwo Jima

Book Theme: The Ordinary Soldier is the main theme. To some extent, the revelation of the truth and “busting of myths” about the flag raising may be considered . It moves from the stages of pre-war, war , and post war stages of the flag raisers lives.

Perspective: Though formally the book feels like a first person research, it has more of a third person feel to it. We are put into the shoes of individual soldiers (micro perspective of singular events) to the grand scale (macro perspective) of full battalions and armadas.

Fluency: Overall the book is fluent, but at times it breaks off due to the comments by the author (which could be put in as a note in the end of the book), but the train of thoughts isn’t lost anywhere.

Review:

Introduction & Plot
It is in rarity that we find books that are capable of focusing on the war and its after-math, a simple soldier to the whole battalion, and that focuses on the human brutal aspect of war, the one that is not glamorized by the media.
All People who lived during the wars are perhaps aware of the slogan, “Now all together”, and behind that slogan was the picture, which was partly responsible for winning the war – Financially. This photo by Joe Rosenthal is the most instantly recognizable photo anywhere in the United States and perhaps the world.
Focusing on the 6 men, out of whom 3 faded into martyrdom, and the other 3 who were catapulted into instant fame, the book records the lives of the men who raised a flag on top of Mount Suribachi, on a certain sulfur island.
As America was in a time of financial turmoil, the facts were exaggerated of the flag raising, so that America could persuade its citizens (who by then were tired and displayed subtle anger against the war) to continue to support the war effort, in order that America need not surrender to its enemies.

It was in these tumultuous times that the photo offered hope to those who had none.

Following in the footsteps of ‘Doc’ Bradley, Mike Strank, Ira Hayes, Franklin Sousley, Harlon Block, Rene Gagnon, this book lays out their lives and the very moments that transformed them, into something larger than life.
It captures the spirit of the marine corps, in an enchanting way.
“It wasn’t a matter of living… or dying… or fighting…” Said corpsman Robert DeGeus “It was a matter of helping your friends”.
This thought of “Being there for your buddies” is hard to capture in a book, but Bradley does a wonderful job oof integrating it into the general plot, and then gives a nice finishing touch to it.

Writing Style
(SPOILER WARNING: The general idea flow has been revealed below)
“IT hulked above them still, before day break on the fifth morning, this primitive serpent’s head that had struck them down in swaths. Amputed from the body, bombed, blasted, bayoneted, burnt; Suribachi finally lay silent after four days of being killed. But was it dead? Was the grotesque head finally a carcass, or was there venom still inside, and the strength to lash out yet again? There was only one way for the marines to find out. They would tread on the head, and see whether it writhed…..
As the forty man line snaked upward, gained altitude, and grew visible against the near vertical face of the mountain, it attracted attention. Marines on the beaches and on the flat terrain to the north turned to watch. Even men aboard the offshore ships put binoculars to their eyes to follow the thin lines winding trek. Nearly everyone had the same thought: They’re going to get it.”

James Bradley assumes a simple easy to understand writing style. He does not hide the fact that his work is based on interviews, but he does a good job of blending it into the general storyline that we hardly feel the transition from his opinions to that of reality.
Presenting reality, He also notes that the press embellished incidents in order to smooth the “story” out into a “happy ending”, and he counters this by supplying truer incidents in place of them.
Written from the viewpoint of the “All American Boys”, it is obvious that this book does not focus much on the Japanese side of the battle, though there are statements that allude to the preparation by the Japanese to receive the Americans on their “Sacred Ground”.
The book majorly starts by recounting the childhood experiences of each of the flag raisers, moves to the point where they join the armed forces, their training, the transport, the battle(in detail for some part, but then it becomes general till the end of the battle), and it finally moves on to its second part where it deals with the boys, who apprehensively accept the title “The Heroes of Iwo Jima”, as they coax the public to buy war bonds to support the war efforts.
The book then finally closes by portraying the tragic death of the remaining flag raisers, as they try to cope with their lives; some succeed while some fail.

Closing Comments:
It is a definitive must read for all those who like a light reading, but at the same time have the capability to go deeper than the printed word.
The book presents the face of a young boy sent to war, which though unseen by many, can be associated with by all.

Regards
TBA

 

I just finished this book and really enjoyed it. I read it after reading another book about Iwo Jima...that may have been the title as well.
Krystal