Unbroken: a World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption -- Laura Hillenbrand

Louis Zamperini was a rabble-rouser in his youth, known in the neighborhood for beating kids up, stealing, and defying authority. Though he was nothing like his older brother Pete, Louis practically idolized him. And so, over time, and with the help of Pete, Louis eventually worked to channel his rambunctious energy into something more productive and less destructive: running. Louis had a talent for speed, and by the time he was 19, he was competing in the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Though Louis did not go home with a gold medal, he knew the future was bright for him; so he set his eyes on winning in the 1940 Olympics.

But Louis would never run in those Games. The Games would be cancelled as a result of World War II; and Louis would instead find himself a bombardier in the Army Air Corps, flying over the Pacific in the war against Japan.

As part of the crew aboard the plane known as "Super Man", Louis was responsible for many successful missions. And like the others in the crew, he sometimes miraculously escaped serious harm and death in spite of the many precarious situations they flew into. Such was the case on "Super Man's" last mission -- the mission in which the crew's pilot Allen Phillips managed to nurse the plane home riddled with almost 600 bullet holes and multiple mechanical failures.

While "Super Man" would never fly again, and some of the plane's crew would be replaced due to injuries, the crew would not be so lucky. One day in May 1943, the crew was called up on a rescue mission and given "The Green Hornet" to fly, a plane in which none held much faith. And so it was, aboard "The Green Hornet" that Louis' luck seemed to run out. The plane went down over the Pacific, killing all but 3 of the crew. Louis, pilot Allen Phillips, and a crewman named Mac survived. With few survival supplies, the 3 men floated on rafts in shark-infested waters, hoping -- and eventually praying -- for rescue.

But rescue did not come. Instead, after nearly 50 days drifting at sea, surviving on raw albatross and tern, infrequent rain water, and the very rare fish, the rafts reached land. Only when the survivors realized they had landed on a Japanese-occupied island and began experiencing the horrors faced by Prisoners of War in Japan did they realize they would long for the days in the raft.

Over the course of the next two years, Louis and Allen Phillips would endure torturous beatings, starvation, interrogation, and humiliation. They faced guards full of cruelty who ignored the rules of the Geneva Convention regarding POWs, and learned just how much they could endure before they would break. It seemed the war would never end -- and if it did, that it would not be soon enough.

Still, Louis and many other POWs held onto the hope of America winning the war. Though beaten and practically broken, these men pushed through the horrors of being Prisoners to the Japanese. And one day, the war ended. Louis and his fellow POWs were able to return home. But their lives were forever changed. Their dreams were haunted, and sometimes, most cruelly, their waking hours were as well as they flashed-back to the horrors of the past. For Louis, who had tried everything he could think of to escape his nightmares, the only thing that released him from the grasp of terror was finding Christianity and realizing the worth of his soul. His dignity was restored, and he was able to face the future with hope and optimism once again.


***I knew, just by reading the prologue, that this would be an intense book. I found myself talking often of it to my husband. At once appalling and enthralling, this book is an amazing read. I feel Hillenbrand handled a lot of sensitive topics with tact. I was horrified, still, by all that the POWs were forced to endure. Sometimes shocked by the cruelties human beings are capable of inflicting. But the book held hope throughout. A great read, indeed. I am glad to have added it to my "read" library.