I first heard about Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand from my friend, Eliza. Eliza confessed to me, while she's not much of a reader, she loved this book. I made sure to put it on my "to read" list. Then I heard more about this book from my friend Talena. I asked her what she thought and she simply said, "It's just one of those books everyone needs to read." I then bumped Unbroken to the top of my "to read" list.
Unbroken is the true story of Louis Zamperini's life. It follows him through his rambunctious and sometimes wild youth to running in the Berlin Olympics as a prodigy track star. His running career is cut short by World War II, which leads to him becoming an airman with Army Air Forces in 1943. His bomber plane goes down while on a rescue mission and Zamperini finds himself as one of the few survivors floating in a small raft in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, with currents drifting him towards enemy territory.
Hillenbrand does an amazing job painting the picture of Zamperini's life and describing the triumphs and atrocities he endured during WWII. I agree with both Eliza and Talena, this is a book everyone should read. There were many reasons I liked this book. First, being that both of my grandpas served in WWII in the US Air Force. As Zamperini described his life stationed in Hawaii, I thought of my mom's dad, red headed, just 18 and stationed in an air base in London and of my dad's dad, quiet, intellectual, stationed in a base first in Italy and then Egypt. As Zamperini described the dangers of flying, let alone fighting, in the airplanes of the time and of the many friends he lost along the way, I ached for my grandpas' experiences. While neither of my grandpas were pilots, but instead worked on base, I felt my understanding of what they may have seen and endured expanded a bit as I learned more about base life. They were both so young. My grandpas have both passed away now, but I was grateful for this book to perhaps understand their war experience a little bit more.
Second, from an educational point of view, I appreciated this book for helping me better understand WWII in Japan. We often hear about the horrors of the concentration camps, but I wasn't as informed of the war with Japan and the cause.
Last, I loved this book for the example of sheer perseverance of Zamperini's and his surviving friends. I found them inspiring. I loved the spiritual experiences Zamperini shared that gave him hope. I thought the insight into human nature of what people can survive was fascinating. I really liked that Hillenbrand shows that coming home isn't the end of trials, because so many soldiers had to then face PTSD, flashbacks and other hardships they still had to work through.
I found my own stresses and struggles, while valid, seemed small compared to what all these men went through. I felt by reading this book, I found extra endurance to move forward with my own trials, because their examples of strengthen strengthened me. If you are feeling downtrodden by the life, read this book. There are so many great lessons one can glean from Zamperini and his friends' experiences.
PS This book also reaffirmed my extreme fear of sharks, just so you know.
Jan's Rating: Second, from an educational point of view, I appreciated this book for helping me better understand WWII in Japan. We often hear about the horrors of the concentration camps, but I wasn't as informed of the war with Japan and the cause.
Last, I loved this book for the example of sheer perseverance of Zamperini's and his surviving friends. I found them inspiring. I loved the spiritual experiences Zamperini shared that gave him hope. I thought the insight into human nature of what people can survive was fascinating. I really liked that Hillenbrand shows that coming home isn't the end of trials, because so many soldiers had to then face PTSD, flashbacks and other hardships they still had to work through.
I found my own stresses and struggles, while valid, seemed small compared to what all these men went through. I felt by reading this book, I found extra endurance to move forward with my own trials, because their examples of strengthen strengthened me. If you are feeling downtrodden by the life, read this book. There are so many great lessons one can glean from Zamperini and his friends' experiences.
PS This book also reaffirmed my extreme fear of sharks, just so you know.
Learning of others' trials is a great way to put our own in perspective. Looks like a good book. I'll have to check it out.
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