Never Give Up: A Prairie Family's Story

"Tom Brokaw is known as one of the hardest-working, most successful people in broadcast journalism. His success is attributed to his work ethic, his instinct for identifying the significance of the news in the lives of ordinary people, and his reputationfor always showing up for others. In this heartfelt family story, Tom shows the values and lessons he absorbed from his ancestors, parents, and others who settled in South Dakota and worked hard to build lives on the prairie during the first half of the twentieth century. At the center of this story is Red Brokaw, Tom's father, who left school in the third grade. At the end of his life, Red surprised his family by recording his memories about the Brokaw ancestors who obtained land in South Dakota under the Lend-Lease plan and started a hotel called the Brokaw House. As a boy Red worked there, and then on construction jobs, developing a talent for machines. At a high school play, he fell in love with the girl playing the lead, Jean, whose father had lost the family farm during the Depression. They married, and struggled financially. Their son Tom was born in 1940, and two other sons followed. Red had a philosophy: Never give up. Never complain. After the war, Red got his big break. The Army Corps of Engineers began to build great projects, including dams across the Missouri River, magnificent structures like the Fort Randall and the Gavins Point dams. Red rose to become a Foreman on the dam project, and the Brokaws moved to towns created to house workers,where the family became part of a vibrant community life"--
In this heartfelt story of his own family’s greatest generation: his parents, the legendary broadcast journalist relates his mother’s can-do spirit and his father’s philosophy of “never give up”, which enabled them to survive the Great Depression and WWII—and help build the American century. Illustrations.
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. “In our fractured times, this inspiring book reminds us how we can rise to meet our current challenges by honoring the fortitude of the generations before us.”—Walter IsaacsonTom’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.