Flags of Our Fathers

By: James Bradley, Ron Powers

Narrated by: Barry Bostwick

Now abridged for young people, Flags of Our Fathers is the unforgettable chronicle of perhaps the most famous moment in American military history: the raising of the U. S. flag at Iwo Jima. Here is the true story behind the immortal photograph that has come to symbolize the courage and indomitable will of America.

In February 1945, American Marines plunged into the surf at Iwo Jima–and into history. The son of one of the flag raisers has written a powerful account of six very different men who came together in the heroic battle for the Pacific’s most crucial island.©2000 James Bradley and Ron Powers; (P)2000 Random House, Inc., Bantam Doubleday Dell Audio Publishing, A Division of Random House, Inc.; Original Jacket Photo ©AP/Wide World Photos

Critic reviews

“Unforgettable ... one of the most instructive and moving books on war and its aftermath that we are likely to see ... its portrayal rivals Saving Private Ryan in its shocking, unvarnished immediacy.”—The New York Times

“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

“A powerful book whose vivid and horrific images do not easily leave the mind ... [Flags of Our Fathers] relates the brutalizing story of Iwo Jima with a fine eye for both the strategic imperative and the telling incident.”—The Boston Globe

“Brings a heartfelt personal dimension to this penetrating and insightful look at an American icon.... Flags of Our Fathers captivates as the story behind a famous photo, a story that lives on in a son’s heart.”—National Review

Sinfully mispronounces a critical word throughout

My Uncle Jack Simms was a corpsman on Iwo Jima. This story is a spectacular telling of a major Pacific Theatre battle of WWII.

What makes this difficult to listen to is the continuous mispronunciation of the word "Corpsman". My uncle and every other Marine or Sailor I ever heard pronounce the word
was "CORE-MAN" not "CORPS-MAN".

Other than that the book is great.

Flags of Our Fathers

Considering the writing style of Bradley, it is unbelievable that he is not more well know as a writer of non-ficton. The way he has taken old, almost forgoten documentation and has been able to weave these seperate facts into a story of horror, fear, pain, and heroism almost places the reader into the battle. Some of the realism, on many occasions, brought tears to my eyes. It also brings to light that the failure that we as American citizens have in not properly caring for our war heroes did not start with Iraq, the Gulf Wars, or even Vietnam. The heroes of Iwo Jima and the rest of WWII definatly were victims of our negligence. After hearing this narration of such a well written book, I can hardly wait for Bradley's latest book, "FLYBOYS" to be available on AUDIBLE.COM.

Finally accuracy

I feel as though I finally know my own father. He died at 53 when I was 17 and not interested in history. I never had the chance to know him.

Great Book!

I am not a war buff, in fact I find my war histories boring, but this book was really interesting. It focuses on the personal histories of war heros, rather than just what they did in the war like most books do.

Not just for Men

I found this book to be more than just a re-creation of the hardship of war. It is a poignant human interest story that brings real people to life. It gives a realistic portrayal of men and women who coped with traumatic experiences in varied ways. It is a book that portrays the courage of the human spirit without superficial idealism. Both my husband and I enjoyed this book equally. There are characters in this book I will never forget.