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Title details for Never Give Up by Tom Brokaw - Available

Never Give Up

A Prairie Family's Story

by Tom Brokaw
Lincoln Hoppe
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
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1 of 1 copy available
In this moving story, the New York Times bestselling author of The Greatest Generation chronicles the values and lessons he absorbed from his parents and other people who worked hard to build lives on the prairie during the first half of the twentieth century.
“A spare, elegant masterpiece.”—Ken Burns

Tom’s father, Red, left school in the second grade to work in the family hotel—the Brokaw House, established in Bristol, South Dakota, by R. P. Brokaw in 1883. Eventually, through work on construction jobs, Red developed an exceptional talent for machines. Tom’s mother, Jean, was the daughter of a farmer who lost everything during the Great Depression. They met after a high school play, when Jean played the lead and Red fell in love with her from the audience. Although they didn’t have much money early in their marriage, especially once they had three boys at home, Red’s philosophy of “Never give up” served them well. His big break came after World War II, when he went to work for the Army Corps of Engineers building great dams across the Missouri River, magnificent structures like the Fort Randall and the Gavins Point dams. Late in life, Red surprised his family by recording his memories of the hard times of his early life, reflections that inspired this book.
Tom Brokaw is known as one of the most successful people in broadcast journalism. Throughout his legendary career, Brokaw has always asked what we can learn from world events and from our history. Within Never Give Up is one answer, a portrait of the resilience and respect for others at the heart of one American family’s story.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    June 13, 2023

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9780593742754
      • File size: 96786 KB
      • Duration: 03:21:38

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      April 17, 2023
      In this affable memoir, former NBC Nightly News anchor Brokaw (The Fall of Richard Nixon) draws a line from his parents’ perseverance through world wars and the Great Depression through to his own values. “I thank God for their enduring legacy of quiet courage and common persistence,” he writes, focusing especially on the latter. Brokaw recounts Red and Jean’s courtship and reflects on the work ethic he gleaned from them, masterfully bringing them to life through fond recollections—he writes of his mother excitedly waking him the morning after Harry Truman won the 1948 presidential election (to which he attributes his “lifelong journalistic passion for politics”) as if it happened yesterday, and touchingly recalls a radio tribute to his father on the day of his funeral, effectively giving the talkative Red “the last word” on his own life. Photographs woven throughout the text, including an image of Red’s watch with a small picture of Jean on the face, further enhance the sense of tenderness. Brokaw constructs this memorable family history with all the concision and color of a good journalistic profile. It’s hard not to be moved.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Lincoln Hoppe's welcoming tone fits the folksy memories and reflections in this short audiobook as former TV news anchor Tom Brokaw recounts his memories of his family's struggles with prairie living. The stories reach back to his grandparents, who operated a hotel. His father, Red, helped out as a child and learned the hardscrabble values that informed how his son was raised: Work hard, don't complain. Hoppe's narration choices serve Brokaw well. This audiobook isn't an insider tell-all but an even-tempered look back at past generations. Hoppe approaches the material with a consistently calm tone. He doesn't seek to emulate Brokaw's Midwestern mannerisms. Nonetheless, Hoppe's voice illuminates the way of life that Brokaw fondly describes. S.P.C. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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