The Boys of Pointe du Hoc

Ronald Reagan, D-Day, and the U.S. Army 2nd Ranger Battalion

By: Douglas Brinkley

Narrated by: Douglas Brinkley

Acclaimed historian and New York Times best-selling author of Tour of Duty Douglas Brinkley brings the riveting account of the brave U.S. Army Rangers who stormed the coast of Normandy on D-Day and the President, 40 years later, who paid them homage.

U.S. and British warships poised in the English Channel had 18 targets on their bombardment list for D-Day morning. The 100-foot promontory known as Pointe du Hoc, where six big German guns were ensconced, was number one. Under the bulldoggish command of Colonel James E. Rudder of Texas, these elite forces, "Rudder's Rangers", took control of the fortified cliff. The liberation of Europe was under way.

Based upon recently released documents, The Boys of Pointe du Hoc is the first in-depth, anecdotal remembrance of these fearless Army Rangers. With brilliant deftness, Brinkley moves between two events four decades apart to tell the dual story of the making of Reagan's two uplifting 1984 speeches, considered by many to be among the best orations the Great Communicator ever gave.

©2005 Douglas Brinkley (P)2005 HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.

Critic reviews

• 2005 Audie Award Nominee, Nonfiction (Unabridged)

"Brinkley clearly and movingly tells the story of how a simple tribute became a milestone in the historiography of WWII and another feather in the Great Communicator's cap." (Publishers Weekly)

loved it

Loved it. God bless America ....and all those who fought for her and love her.

An Heroic Story Well Told

Professor Brinkley's account of the heroic efforts of the Army 2nd Ranger Battalion on D-day and the inspiration they gave President Reagan is captured in a moving narrative. Well written and well read by the author.

Not quite what I was hoping...

First I would like to say that this is a good book, however it is more a history of a speech that was given in memorium than the battle itself. This made the book quite dissapointing for me. I feel that the actual telling of the trials and tribulations that these men went through was cut short in order to inform the reader of a few speech writers, interesting yes, but not what I expected and perhaps that is my fault. I like listening to books that detail obscenely difficult circumstances so that I can not find a reason to quit walking/running at mile 30. This book is only inspirational for about the first two hours, then it cuts over to people who got to sleep in a bed every night.

Great book about great men

I wasn't sure I was going to like this book because I was really looking for a book about D-Day, but this was much more. Not only did it go into detail about the actual assualt of Pointe du Hoc, but the author give us a real insight into how and why Ronald Reagan help pull America out of the malaise created by the Vietnam War and the failed presidency of Jimmy Carter. A great read for both the WWII buff and the fans of "Dutch."

It's a good book, but not what I expected

What did you love best about The Boys of Pointe du Hoc?

The story and back history of the men who climbed the cliffs at Pointe du Hoc.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

The most interesting parts were over in less than an hour, the rest of the book is about the speech, and history of President Reagan.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Focus on the boys

The Boys...

A decent chronicle of the Pointe du Hoc mission and President Reagan's leadership at a critical time in Military History for the United States.

Good Story/Author should not be reading it

This is a well written, inspirational book giving additional insight into Reagan and D-Day. The author reads it without varying inflection and tone. Buy the book instead.

Disappointed

This book misses out on the action; the actual taking of the German Position - the supposed foacus of the author - takes up some 30 minutes at maximum, I'd guess. The first half is full of hyperbole about just how brave the boys were - we know that - and how much braver they were than their British conterparts - a position which the boys themselves would never support. The second half wanders all over the place: Peggy Noonan, the Reagan Speech in 1984, politics, Irving Berlin, Reagan making films for GE.

Frankly, it's the first time I've wanted my money returned. Poor writing; irrelevant material and incessant musings over Reagan and the author's political baises.