Unbroken

Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand was recommended to me awhile back, and this month, it also happened to be my book club's book--so I finally got around to reading it.  The subtitle to the book gives a good synopsis: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption.  The book tells the true story of Louis Zamperini, an Olympic runner on track to run a 4-minute mile when WWII hits and the next Olympics are cancelled.  Louie becomes a part of the military, and when his plane crashes in the ocean, he and the other survivors become stranded on a raft, floating aimlessly for more than 30 days with virtually nothing to eat or drink.  When they amazingly survive, Louie then becomes a POW under the Japanese, abused and tortured in unimaginable ways.

This is a truly amazing book.  It was daunting to me at first, but somehow the author makes this long, historical, nonfiction book absolutely fascinating and hard to put down.  Louie's story enthralled me, and I just wanted to keep reading all the time.  It was so interesting to read about what took place during WWII and was completely appalling to realize the way that POWs were treated by many Japanese.  The book really opened my eyes to the suffering that took place during WWII as well as the suffering that continued for so many veterans after the war.  The author's dedication at the end of the book was one I completely agreed with: "I come away from this book with the deepest appreciation for what these men endured, and what they sacrificed, for the good of humanity. It is to them that this book is dedicated."  The book also included a powerful and inspirational message of forgiveness.*  I loved this book!

Rating: * * * (3/3 = Loved it)


*The book's explanation of unlikely forgiveness reminded me of another amazing book called The Hiding Place, the autobiography of Corrie ten Boom, a Holocaust survivor.  Highly recommended as well.