Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption
This book is in a Controlled Release!
1 journaler for this copy...
Removed from the Little Free Library on San Luis Drive in San Luis Obispo yesteday.
An extraordinary story, written with great care.
Born in Torrance, California, in 1917, Louis Zamperini led a remarkable life, enhanced by his own fierce determination. On more than one challenging occasion he might have slid into a normal reaction or even given up but that wasn't who he was.
As a child, Louis seemed incorrigible: his pranks, his thefts, his vandalism were the talk of the town and the despair of his parents. Later, his brother helped channel that energy into running, and Louis discovered a remarkable talent that took him to the 1936 Olympics. His feats in the Army Air Force in WWII, though, were the stuff of legend.
After a crash into the ocean, his determination saved his life, but then his obstinacy made life in a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp worse for him. No matter. He could take whatever they dished out. Admittedly, he was often a thin thread away from death, and only a bit of luck kept him on this side.
When Louis finally came home as a hero, he threw himself into speaking about his adventures and for a while this worked. But life in an after-war world was harder than most soldiers thought it would be. He slipped into alcoholism, despair, depression, all enhanced by PTSD. He was propped up by his wife for a long time, but ultimately had to find his own way out.
Zamparini is fortunate in having his story written by a person with a penchant for accuracy and detail. Nothing is told that hasn't been thoroughly researched, and the author has taken a back seat to Louis in that she does not overlay her own impressions on his or on anyone else's.
She lets the times and the people speak for themselves, and the stories are powerful because of that.
Another gift Hillenbrand gives us is a close look at the war in the Pacific. Most of us are more familiar with the European front than the Pacific. She also reveals the extreme cost in lives that the American airmen paid in WWII. I was shocked to read about the condition of the planes, the risks the crews took, the toll in lives given in non-combat circumstances. It is hard not to think that the armed forces leaders were far too casual in their use of men. I don't know what choices they had, of course, so don't take that opinion to the bank.
***sort of spoiler alert***
Toward the end, Louis has something of an epiphany, brought on by religious experiences. Ultimately he thanks a higher power for his successes in life. The detail in this part of the book is the result of Hillenbrand's detailed research, as is the rest of the book, and not a promotion of religion. While I recognized this I was still disturbed by the God theme. It's obviously part of who Louis is, though, so this is my problem.
Born in Torrance, California, in 1917, Louis Zamperini led a remarkable life, enhanced by his own fierce determination. On more than one challenging occasion he might have slid into a normal reaction or even given up but that wasn't who he was.
As a child, Louis seemed incorrigible: his pranks, his thefts, his vandalism were the talk of the town and the despair of his parents. Later, his brother helped channel that energy into running, and Louis discovered a remarkable talent that took him to the 1936 Olympics. His feats in the Army Air Force in WWII, though, were the stuff of legend.
After a crash into the ocean, his determination saved his life, but then his obstinacy made life in a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp worse for him. No matter. He could take whatever they dished out. Admittedly, he was often a thin thread away from death, and only a bit of luck kept him on this side.
When Louis finally came home as a hero, he threw himself into speaking about his adventures and for a while this worked. But life in an after-war world was harder than most soldiers thought it would be. He slipped into alcoholism, despair, depression, all enhanced by PTSD. He was propped up by his wife for a long time, but ultimately had to find his own way out.
Zamparini is fortunate in having his story written by a person with a penchant for accuracy and detail. Nothing is told that hasn't been thoroughly researched, and the author has taken a back seat to Louis in that she does not overlay her own impressions on his or on anyone else's.
She lets the times and the people speak for themselves, and the stories are powerful because of that.
Another gift Hillenbrand gives us is a close look at the war in the Pacific. Most of us are more familiar with the European front than the Pacific. She also reveals the extreme cost in lives that the American airmen paid in WWII. I was shocked to read about the condition of the planes, the risks the crews took, the toll in lives given in non-combat circumstances. It is hard not to think that the armed forces leaders were far too casual in their use of men. I don't know what choices they had, of course, so don't take that opinion to the bank.
***sort of spoiler alert***
Toward the end, Louis has something of an epiphany, brought on by religious experiences. Ultimately he thanks a higher power for his successes in life. The detail in this part of the book is the result of Hillenbrand's detailed research, as is the rest of the book, and not a promotion of religion. While I recognized this I was still disturbed by the God theme. It's obviously part of who Louis is, though, so this is my problem.
Sent to daughter Mary. I think it will grab her interest.
