Unbroken, written by Laura Hillenbrand tells the story of Louis Zamperini, an Olympic runner who served in the American military during World War II. Zamperini trained hard throughout his childhood to become an Olympic runner. He eventually participated in the Berlin Olympics in 1936. However, Zamperini eventually joined the military to serve in World War II. Zamperini’s plane crashes in the Pacific Ocean during a reconnaissance mission, and he survives 47 days adrift on a raft in the ocean with two other crew members. After one crew member dies, Zamperini and the other survivor, Russell Allen Phillips, are captured by the Japanese Navy. Zamperini then spends more than two years as a prisoner of war, enduring brutal conditions and inhumane treatment at the hands of his captors, particularly a man known as “The Bird.” Despite the physical and psychological torture, Zamperini remains unbroken, maintaining his will to survive. After the end of the war, Zamperini struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder and alcoholism but eventually finds redemption and peace through his faith. He goes on to forgive his former captors and even attempts to meet “The Bird” to offer forgiveness, though “The Bird” refuses.
Louis Zamperini’s story is a testament to human resilience. He faced a lot of adversity, including a plane crash, 47 days lost at sea, and many years of brutal treatment as a prisoner of war, however, Zamperini never gave up. His physical and mental strength and resilience played a crucial role in his survival. Zamperini’s background as an athlete and his close relationship with his family also played a significant role in his survival.
The book also shows Zamperini’s character development very thoroughly. At the beginning of the book, Zamperini was a mischievous boy who would steal from others and break into buildings. Zamperini’s brother pushed him to become more though. Through his brother’s encouragement and strict training, Louis Zamperini eventually became an Olympic-level runner. Louis Zamperini then becomes a member of the military in World War II, then a prisoner of war. As a prisoner of war, Zamperini is shown to be calm and calculated in stressful situations which shows how he has developed since the beginning of the book.
Hillenbrand uses personal letters to and from Zamperini’s family and personal diaries to tell Zamperini’s story and it is obvious that the story being told in the book is accurate to what took place in real life. Hillenbrand even included an epilogue telling the story of her process of writing the book. Hillenbrand’s research strategies are also on display in her book Seabiscuit.
The book is very carefully researched and it provides a very interesting account of Zamperini’s life, however, I personally found the writing style to be a little bit repetitive. This took away from the book a little bit because the book seemed more focused on the sequence of events, rather than Zamperini’s emotions. As a reader, it reduced the impact of all the emotional events that Zamperini went through and it partially took away from the experience.
Ultimately, I would recommend anyone to go and check out this book. It gave an interesting view into the reality of someone who became a prisoner of war and his story of faith and courage while maintaining an action-packed story.
