The Boys of Pointe du Hoc audiobook

Didn’t care much for Reagan back in the day, but I did know about the Pointe du Hoc Rangers on D- Day. So I picked up the book because of the historian Brinkley, and the D-Day aspect of it. AND I knew that Reagan would be kinda a huge part of the story. Therefore I’m a bit mystified when I read from some reviewers suggesting that ‘Reagan is in the book too much’, indicating some surprise. After all, his name is on the subtitle; so I’m not sure why there was any surprise.Anyway, I found the build up to the assault compelling, the way the speech was built around it almost as much so, and of course the overall way it was all tied together fascinating.I was not surprised by the second half of the book that went into details on Ronald Reagan's background and build up to his speech at Pointe du Hoc on the 40th anniversary. I found it just as interesting as the rest of the book. Years have softened my generation's attitude towards Reagan, with his overall aspect of humanity and relative humility counting towards that. And what I wouldn’t give to have Reagan today instead of the current clown in the WH (in fact, I would happily take Pierce even). Overall a good read.

This slender, informally written book really has three topics: the D-Day storming of Pointe du Hoc, the process of crafting a speech given by Ronald Reagan on the battle’s fortieth anniversary, and an exposition of Reagan’s ability to communicate ideas through pitch-perfect storytelling and genuine enjoyment of people. I’m skeptical that Reagan’s Pointe du Hoc speech “played a seminal role in launching the great reappreciation of World War II veterans that swept over America in the 1980s”(7), but I enjoyed the book anyway, even when I thought the author could have profitably made a short book even shorter. After finishing the book, I felt I understood Ronald Reagan.

An interesting account interweaving the narrative of the Rangers who took Pointe du Hoc in Normandy on D-Day with Reagan’s resonant speech on its 40th anniversary. Much of the insight comes from the lens of how we regard history, yet the book still maintains a personal impact by looking at the individuals who contributed to both events. Perhaps a bit rambling, and more focused on Reagan and his speech than the Omaha Beach landing, but it inspires both a deep appreciation for the Boys of Pointe du Hoc and the president who brought them into the popular consciousness of new generations.

I love how this book made me think about memory and how it took Reagan speech writer Peggy Noonan choosing to focus on the Rangers at Pointe Du Hoc for most people to learn the story of their sacrifice. I also enjoyed learning their story. Toward the end of the book, especially, I was a little put off by the way Brinkley glorified Reagan. I appreciated his analysis of how the speech impacted Americans in 1984, but the way he went on for a whole chapter about how great Reagan was made me a little uneasy, hence the 4 stars.

Great book! I enjoyed seeing a side of President Regan that I never knew of. I enjoyed reading his speeches and learning the impact it had on so many, especially one family. This book discusses how the American rangers came to be, what they accomplished on D-Day, and paints a portrait of a President who cared for those men and how his speeches came to be so memorable. Loved it!

I loved the descriptions and details about storming the point. And then I was totally surprised by the second half of the book that went into details on Ronald Reagan's background and build up to his speech at Pointe du Hoc on the 40th anniversary. Loved the behind-the-scenes type look at that. After finishing the book, I watched the actual Reagan speech on YouTube. Fantastic!

A poignant tribute to both the fighting Rangers of D Day and Reagan. My father was in the Utah Beach landing and this book commemorates all of those who fought that day as well as the President who honored their memorable contributions.

A fascinating view in the skill of Ronald Reagan to move the American people through words. It's amazing that Reagan was able turn the American public back to patriotism through a speech emphasizing WWII heroics. I learned to appreciate the skills of Peggy Noonan.

A fascinating study of the intersection between politics and history, recounting first the heroic exploits of the US Army Rangers during the D-Day campaign, then how Reagan and his staff made the honoring of the World War II generation a central tenet of his rhetoric.

I used this book for my NHD project.

Absolutely wonderful! Great story of President Reagan and his boys!

This is more about the 40th anniversary of D-Day and the speech by President Ronald Reagan. I remember watching the ceremonies all day on June 6, 1984 and I taped many of the events that day. The reason being the 6th of June is my Birthday and I made it a point never to work on my birthday! The day here was overcast, grey and rainy. The highlight that day was Reagan's speech, he struck a cord through the men of the 2nd Ranger Battalion and those who took part in this monumental undertaking. It was the beginning of our understanding of this generation of men and women who stood against the greatest tyranny of the 20th century. This... "The Greatest Generation" later coined by Tom Brokaw in his 1998 book. I read this book in 2007 just before visiting Normandy... it really came alive when I looked down the cliffs of Pointe du Hoc.

I have always been a novice historian in regards to the Battles of WW 2. I really enjoyed this book. I believe as Ronald Reagan did that WW 2 was a just war that had to be fought to crush Nazism. This book links the Rangers Battle at Pointe Du Hoc with President Reagan's speech on the 40th anniversary of D-Day. Whatever your thoughts are about Reagan as a President, one thing that this book will show in his personal love for the WW 2 generation and his deep love for America. Recommended reading if you like histotical WW 2 accounts.

Interestingly, this book is more about the Boys of Pointe du Hoc speech than about the Rangers on D-Day. I'm not sure I agree totally with some of Brinkley's more stretched points - like the speech initiating appreciation of D-Day, Rangers, the WWII generation, and renewed American patriotism - but the story about how such a speech comes to be held my attention more than I would have thought it would. Not only is it interesting, the book is a quick read. That's nice for those of us with short attention spans and a tall stack of books on the nightstand.

This was not the book I was expecting when searching it out. I thought it would be more about the actual story of the Boys of Pointe du Hoc. It only focuses a couple chapters on them. The book is really about Ronald Reagan's speech at Normandy Beach, the story behind Peggy Noonan rise to feature speechwriter, and how Reagan's speech focused attention back on D-Day and help bring it back to the forefront.

I thought this was a very good book that weaves good surface level telling of the Pointe du Hoc story with Reagan's masterful use of the historic event and the thirtieth anniversary of the Normandy invasion to demonstrate his political ideas. To those people who say that the book focuses too much on Reagan I can only respond that you must not have read the book's subtitle before beginning the book. The author does attempt to hide the purpose and focus of the book. It is right up front.

This well researched book corrects some errors in other D-Day accounts. This is very focused on the boys that landed and made the climb to take out the guns at Pointe du Hoc. Also included are accounts of Ronald Reagan's patriotism. Reagan's speech at the 40th anniversary on D-Day is included, too. A good book!!