The starting point for this powerful book is one of the most famous photographs of all time. In February, 1945, American Marines plunged into the surf at Iwo Jima and into a hail of machine-gun and mortar fire from 22,000 Japanese. After climbing through a hellish landscape and on to the island's highest peak six men were photographed raising the stars and stripes.
One of those soldiers was the author's father, John Bradley. He never spoke to his family about the photograph or about the war but, after his death in 1994, they discovered closed boxes of letters and photos which James Bradley draws on to retrace the lives of his father and his five companions.
Following these mens' paths to Iwo Jima, this is a classic story of the heroic battle for the Pacific's most crucial island, an island riddled with 16 miles of tunnels and defended by Japanese soldiers determined to fight to the death. In 36 days of fighting almost 50,000 men lost their lives.
Above all a human and personal story, this book captures brilliantly and movingly, the complexity of war, its aftermath and the true meaning of heroism.
