A Long Way from Home: Growing Up in the American Heartland
by Tom Brokaw
On This Page
Description
In his memoir, Brokaw writes of his quintessential American experience, from his parents' life in the thirties to his early journalism career in the tumultuous sixties to the present day. In this beautiful memoir, Tom Brokaw writes of America and of the American experience. From his parents' life in theThirties, on to his boyhood along the Missouri River and on the prairies of South Dakota in the Forties, into his early journalism career in the Fifties and the tumultuous Sixties, up to the show more present, this personal story is a reflection on America in our time. Tom Brokaw writes about growing up and coming of age in the heartland, and of the family, the people, the culture and the values that shaped him then and still do today. His father, Red Brokaw, a genius with machines, followed the instincts of Tom's mother Jean, and took the risk of moving his small family from an Army base to Pickstown, South Dakota, where Red got a job as a heavy equipment operator in the Army Corps of Engineers' project building the Ft. Randall dam along the Missouri River. Tom Brokaw describes how this move became the pivotal decision in their lives, as the Brokaw family, along with others after World War II, began to live out the American Dream: community, relative prosperity, middle class pleasures and good educations for their children. "Along the river and in the surrounding hills, I had a Tom Sawyer boyhood," Brokaw writes; and as he describes his own pilgrimage as it unfolded--from childhood to love, marriage, the early days in broadcast journalism, and beyond--he also reflects on what brought him and so many Americans of his generation to lead lives a long way from home, yet forever affected by it. show lessTags
Recommendations
Member Reviews
I could hear Mr. Brokaw's voice as I read. He was such a typical high school jock jerk and almost completely lost his chance with the girl who eventually became his wife. But, he finally caught on and got himself turned around. He had some wonderful growing up experiences. What a fun story to read. We are about the same age, so even though we grew up in different parts of the world, it had such a ring of truth and dredged up memories. Enjoyed very much!
Read for the states reading challenge. Good biography of Brokaw's boyhood in the 40's and 50's, growing up in small town South Dakota. The town was so rural, there was no TV until they moved to a bigger town. He grew up on radio, and got his breaks into broadcast journalism with radio gigs. He was a wild teen, surfing through high school with minimal effort and getting kicked out of college for his partying ways. But with some mentors along the way, and a high school classmate, now his wife, he turned his life around.
While this book was interesting, it wasn't fascinating. This man was an all American boy who excelled in whatever he did. he was also a big fish in a little pond. Won the girl of his heart. I listened to the book, and the reader was somewhat flat.
A great read! A revealing look at life during the '40s and '50s that helps the reader to appreciate the contributions of Brokaw and the previous generation to the American work ethic.
3681. A Long Way From Home: Growing Up in the American Heartland, by Tom Brokaw (read 18 Jan 2003) This is very enjoyable and easy reading. With my wife being from Yankton -- her maiden surname is even mentioned in the book on page 147--and with Brokaw being for a short time the weatherman on a local TV station, I felt this good account of high interest, as did my wife.
Biography-Ex About his growing up years in small-town SD-to the present
Ratings
Members
- Recently Added By
Author Information
27+ Works 9,855 Members
Tom Brokaw, a native of South Dakota, graduated from the University of South Dakota with a degree in political science. He began his journalism career in Omaha & Atlanta before joining NBC News in 1966. Brokaw was the White House correspondent for NBC News during Watergate, and from 1976 to 1981 he anchored Today on NBC. He's been the sole anchor show more and managing editor of NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw since 1983. Brokaw has won every major award in broadcast journalism, including two DuPonts, a Peabody Award, and several Emmys. He is the author of the bestselling books "The Greatest Generation" and "The Greatest Generation Speaks". He lives in New York and Montana. (Publisher Provided) Tom Brokaw, born February 6, 1940, is a television journalist and author best known as the anchor of NBC Nightly News from 1982 to 2004. He received a B.A. in Political Science from the University of South Dakota in Vermillion. Brokaw is the author of The Greatest Generation (1998), The Greatest Generation Speaks(1999), An Album of Memories(2001), A Long Way from Home: Growing Up in the American Heartland (2002), Boom!: Voices of the Sixties Personal Reflections on the '60s and Today (2007), and The Time of Our Lives: A Conversation about America - Who We Are, Where We've Been, and Where We Need to Go Now, to Recapture the American Dream (2011). He is the recipient of numerous awards and honors. Brokaw is the only person to host all three major NBC News programs: The Today Show, NBC Nightly News, and, briefly, Meet the Press. He now serves as a Special Correspondent for NBC News and works on documentaries for other outlets. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Awards and Honors
Awards
Distinctions
Common Knowledge
- Important places
- South Dakota, USA
Classifications
- Genres
- Biography & Memoir, Nonfiction, General Nonfiction, History
- DDC/MDS
- 070.92 — Computer science, information & general works News media, journalism & publishing Documentary media, educational media, news media; journalism; publishing Biography And History Biographies
- LCC
- PN4874 .B717 .A3 — Language and Literature Literature (General) Literature (General) Journalism. The periodical press, etc. By region or country
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 530
- Popularity
- 56,163
- Reviews
- 6
- Rating
- (3.57)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 12
- ASINs
- 7
