by Mark Morelli
It was high time someone sang the praises of this stalwart group of men and women, weaned on hard times, called to sacrifice life and limb against totalitarianism, who went on to build the Colossus called post-war America. In their twilight, they witnessed the Soviet Union crumble and, the sweetest victory over insolent totalitarianism, the renewed vogue of swing music.
And now, more good news! The unused parts of Brokaw's exhaustive research will not be relegated to attic boxes. In fact, an entire series of "Greatest Generation" books will be released.
"Car & Driving Tips from The Greatest Generation"--offers quaint, nearly archaic advice from the last generation of men who rotated their own tires and changed their own oil. Brokaw describes fisticuffs between a passionate Buick Man and an ardent Chevy Man that resulted in stitches, and of course,a handshake over two Carlings.
"Best Recipes from The Greatest Generation"--Defiant in its insistence on not discarding chicken skin, this primer on thrifty cooking boasts the first non-ironic mention of "lard" in an American cookbook since 1971.
"Child Rearing Tips from The Greatest Generation"--Maybe when the Greatest Generation were in their straight-backed prime, Winstons in fingertips, there was more menace to the words, "I'll give you something to cry about." Now, it rings wise as the maxims in "Poor Richard's Almanack." A group of Iowan bingo ladies offer a strong argument that Ritalin should be replaced by "a good licking."
"Mass Media Moments of the Greatest Generation"--Forget the last Seinfeld. Let the GI Generation explain what they were doing and thinking when they heard that Pearl Harbor was bombed and FDR declared war. (In lieu of counseling, government forces shipped cartons of Chesterfields to every home in the U.S.). And, of course, the last Jack Benny show. Weeks and weeks of front-page stories led to the building anticipation. Hundreds of Greatest Generation households held Jack Benny-theme parties, temporarily reducing the unemployment of gravel-voiced Negroes down to a record .05%.
One book in the series never reached the light of day. It was called "Come-On Lines of the Greatest Generation", but the content for it proved to be slim.
In its entirety, it was: "Will you marry me?"
