Duty: A Father, His Son

¶ … Duty: A Father, His Son and the Man who Won the War by Bob Greene, published in New York by William Morrow in 2000. Specifically it will contain a book review of the book. Greene's purpose for writing this book was to help a younger generation understand the men and women that helped fight World War II. It is also a memoir about his own father, and Paul Tibbets, the man who flew the Enola Gay and dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. The book is a series of memories, combined with interviews and the author's own thoughts on his father, tracking down Tibbets for interviews, and even moral and insightful thoughts on the actual use of the atomic bomb to end the war.

This book is not meant to be a detailed history of World War II. Instead, it is an intimate look into the lives of two men who fought in the war, and representative of thousands like them across the country. He writes, "No generation has ever given its children a stuffier and more reliable safety net than the one our parents' generation gave to us" (Greene 11). This is the meat of the book, and the ultimate theme of this work. As a history book, it would fail to meet its goals, but as an introduction to the people who fought and won World War II, it is totally reliable, credible, and serves a unique purpose. It introduces a generation of children to their parents and grandparents, allowing them to understand just what they accomplished and what it has meant to our own generation. It is extremely effective in introducing the reader to a generation of people they would never experience on their own, and Greene's book is extremely effective for another reason, too. It is not a dry look at history, instead it is a sometimes emotional look at the man who dropped the atomic bomb, the reasons he did it, and the sense of duty he had toward his country and his job. The name of the book is "Duty," and it makes it clear that these men, who fought and died in World War II has a strong sense of themselves, their duty to their country, and the importance of their mission. They did not question authority; they would never think to do that. Instead, they carried out their missions without question, and effectively won the war with their attention to detail and sense of duty. The book makes the reader question their own sense of duty, and if they would have the resolve to fight in a war like this if it happened again. It is a powerful book, partly because it is emotional, and partly because the reader realizes that these people are real, their duty was real, and that our freedom really rests on their shoulders.

Ultimately, this is a book about dying. It follows the last days of Greene's father, but it also looks at the bigger picture of America's World War II vets and how many we are losing every day. It also looks at the lives of the Japanese lost in the atomic bomb explosions, and talks about how many more lives could have been lost if the bombs had not been dropped. This book is about many forms of death, but it also celebrates the lives of those who have died, and what their sacrifices meant for the rest of America. This book makes the reader stop and think about so many things they take for granted, like their parents, their friends, and a war that many people do not even remember.