The Greatest Generation is a 1998 book by journalist Tom Brokaw^[1][2] that profiles those who grew up in the United States during the deprivation of the Great Depression and then went on to fight in World War II as well as those whose productivity within the home front during World War II made a decisive material contribution to the war effort. The book popularized the term Greatest Generation for the name of the cultural generation before the Silent Generation.^[3][4]

Summary

Brokaw profiles those who came of age during World War II in the United States, stemming from his attendance at the D-Day 40th anniversary celebrations. In the book, Brokaw wrote that "it is, I believe, the greatest generation any society has ever produced." He argued that these men and women fought not for fame and recognition, but because it was the "right thing to do."^[5]