History 2112
Professor Lin
10 March 2011
Book Review of Flags of our Fathers: Flags of Our Fathers is a biography of John “Doc” Bradley, also called Jack, and the five other flag raisers in battle on the island of Iwo Jima during World War II. It is written by his son, James Bradley, who knew very little about his father’s experience and heroism in the battle of Iwo Jima. This novel takes the reader into the lives of these six men and provides a glimpse of the United States as it was before, during and after what is perceived as the worst battle of World War II. The men in this biography were considered heroes for their actions; however none of them thought this to be completely true. When asked about being such a hero John as well as the other flag raisers agreed that “The heroes of Iwo Jima are the guys who didn’t come back,” (pg.343). This biography is a wonderful representation of the humility and greatness that the soldiers showed during the time of war. The author portrays his message to the reader through his use of a personal recollection of the battle, and the events in the lives of each of the six men who came to be known as the flag raisers. …show more content…
After much research and prying onto the lives of the six men, he tells each of their stories as to how they came to enlist and go to war for their country, With each man, a different story leading up to his decision to enlist in the United States Marines (with the exception of Doc who was a Navy Corpsman) is told through the perspective of a man who was almost unaffected by Iwo Jima, due to the fact he knew very little about the battle that went on in that small island of