The tone of the book is objective and factual. Brokaw presents the story of various people who were a part of the World War II generations. He discusses the economic situation of the country in the 1920s and 1930s. The economy went from boom to bust, from the prosperity of the 1920s to the Great Depression of the 1930s. Then came the attack on Pearl Harbor and the United States entry into World War II. Men and women left their families and entered the military or worked in war production industries. It was a time of sacrifice for all but they willingly made these sacrifices because they wanted.