Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand

This is going to be a personal post and I am not one to usually get personal. The reason for reading Unbroken was simple. At my college graduation, Louis Zamperini received an honorary degree from my school. They briefly told his story but frankly there was more to it. Zamperini received 3 standing ovations during the ceremony, all of which were deserved. My dad asked for his book for father’s day. When he finished it, I decided to read it.

Louis Zamperini was a trouble-maker as a child, one time running away but soon returning home. He took up running in high school and quickly became one of the fastest runners in the country – so fast that he qualified for the 1936 Olympics. He shook Hilter’s hand after running one of his races in Germany. Many believe Louis would be the first person to ever break the 4-minute mile (he was seconds away). Then WWII began.

Zamperini enlisted in the Air Force as a bombardier. Soon his plane was shot down and he was stranded over the ocean in a raft with no food or water. He and the pilot survived the long journey at sea, fending off sharks and machine-gun attack from the Japanese. They were found after 47 days by the Japanese and became Prisoners of War. Back in America, Louis was declared dead.

He was tortured and dehumanized for over 2 years at various POW camps throughout Japan. It is shocking to hear how poorly the POWs were treated and how demoralizing the camps were. When the war ended, Zaperini returned home a hero but was haunted by the punishment he endured. He turned to alcohol but was saved by a preacher and God. Later in life, he returned to Japan to forgive the guards who had abused him.

The writing is just as good as the story. The author went to extremes to research and confirm all of the stories, details, and quotes. You become hooked to Zamperini’s grave situations, wanting to know how he survives. (Side note: Laura Hillenbrand finds the most incredible stories to tell. She wrote the novel Seabiscut, which was eventually made into an Oscar winning moving. After her second book, I think Hillenbrand is one of the best historical storytellers out there.)

My grandfather was a POW during WWII in a German camp. I have no idea what he went through. He never talked about it. But this story made me think about him. There’s an even higher level of respect for all veterans when you read a story like this.

If you need any more incentive to read this book, it was named the book of the year by Time magazine for 2010. 

My rating for Unbroken: 5 stars out of 5. Get it here!