by: Laura Hillenbrand
Website: http://laurahillenbrandbooks.com/
Book Description:
On a May afternoon in 1943, an Army Air Forces bomber crashed into the Pacific Ocean and disappeared, leaving only a spray of debris and a slick of oil, gasoline, and blood. Then, on the ocean surface, a face appeared. It was that of a young lieutenant, the plane’s bombardier, who was struggling to a life raft and pulling himself aboard. So began one of the most extraordinary odysseys of the Second World War.
The lieutenant’s name was Louis Zamperini. In boyhood, he’d been a cunning and incorrigible delinquent, breaking into houses, brawling, and fleeing his home to ride the rails. As a teenager, he had channeled his defiance into running, discovering a prodigious talent that had carried him to the Berlin Olympics and within sight of the four-minute mile. But when war had come, the athlete had become an airman, embarking on a journey that led to his doomed flight, a tiny raft, and a drift into the unknown.
Ahead of Zamperini lay thousands of miles of open ocean, leaping sharks, a foundering raft, thirst and starvation, enemy aircraft, and, beyond, a trial even greater. Driven to the limits of endurance, Zamperini would answer desperation with ingenuity; suffering with hope, resolve, and humor; brutality with rebellion. His fate, whether triumph or tragedy, would be suspended on the fraying wire of his will.
In her long-awaited new book, Laura Hillenbrand writes with the same rich and vivid narrative voice she displayed in Seabiscuit. Telling an unforgettable story of a man’s journey into extremity, Unbroken is a testament to the resilience of the human mind, body, and spirit.
The lieutenant’s name was Louis Zamperini. In boyhood, he’d been a cunning and incorrigible delinquent, breaking into houses, brawling, and fleeing his home to ride the rails. As a teenager, he had channeled his defiance into running, discovering a prodigious talent that had carried him to the Berlin Olympics and within sight of the four-minute mile. But when war had come, the athlete had become an airman, embarking on a journey that led to his doomed flight, a tiny raft, and a drift into the unknown.
Ahead of Zamperini lay thousands of miles of open ocean, leaping sharks, a foundering raft, thirst and starvation, enemy aircraft, and, beyond, a trial even greater. Driven to the limits of endurance, Zamperini would answer desperation with ingenuity; suffering with hope, resolve, and humor; brutality with rebellion. His fate, whether triumph or tragedy, would be suspended on the fraying wire of his will.
In her long-awaited new book, Laura Hillenbrand writes with the same rich and vivid narrative voice she displayed in Seabiscuit. Telling an unforgettable story of a man’s journey into extremity, Unbroken is a testament to the resilience of the human mind, body, and spirit.
Rating:
Review:
This was my second World War II novel of the year (Lost in Shangri-La being the 1st) and it very well could be the second one I've ever read. I might need to find some more history books to read if they are all as good as Unbroken. From the opening pages I was hooked into the story of Louis Zampernini. It starts right from the start of his life as he grows up in California and becomes a world class runner. Even that small part of the book was interesting and it just gets better and better. Louis joins the military and from bad luck his plane crashes into the Pacific Ocean and he is lost at sea for days on a small life raft.
This is the only part of the book I took into question. While he was on his life raft, most of the time sharks were circling him and at one point were actively trying to jump up onto the raft. I've never heard of this behavior by sharks before, but what do I know? One trip to Sea World and I'm all the sudden a shark expert.
Again, the book would have been good if it ended at the point of rescue, but it keeps getting better and better. Louis falls into enemy hands and is quickly put into a concentration camp by the Japanese. He is eventually rescued from the camp and the book than covers his post WWII life.
From start to end, Unbroken, is a fabulous novel that will surely make a great movie. I just hope they don't cast Leonardo DiCaprio as Louis. I hate basically everything the kid has done.
Go out and get this book. I guarantee you will love it!!
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