About the Author

James Bradley is the son of John "Doc" Bradley, one of the six flag raisers on Iwo Jima. He conducted over 300 interviews with World War II veterans and their families in the course of writing this book.

Reviews

"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

"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

Gr 7-10-The American flag being hoisted over Iwo Jima during World War II is a ubiquitous image, and students are repeatedly told that it represents the struggle of war and the triumph of freedom. Reading this magnificent book will make those concepts tangible. A son of one of the "flag raisers," Bradley tells the story of six young men, from different backgrounds and varying experiences, who came together at one moment during "America's most heroic battle" to be spontaneously immortalized by an Associated Press photographer. Solidly adapted from the adult bestseller (Bantam, 2000), this work builds from introductions to the men and the war to a narration of the bloody conquering of the important island, concluding with the celebrity-encouraged by FDR-that followed the picture's worldwide publication. The dramatic fighting, heroic behavior, and patriotic celebrations in which these half-dozen humble individuals played a role are all captured. The author's authoritative sources include the elder Bradley's papers and rare familial recounts of the experience, hundreds of interviews, and a visit to the site of the action. And while justly proud of his father and his country, Bradley strives for fairness and historical accuracy, pointing out that this was the second flag raised that day, the first having been taken down as a souvenir for an officer. History is thus made personally authentic in these pages. A book that deserves a place on school reading lists and in every library.-Andrew Medlar, Chicago Public Library, IL Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.