“I've seen this book reviewed a lot over the past few months and I don't think a single one has been less than four stars. I love history, and I love biographies, so while World War II isn't my preferred time period, I was really excited when my book club made this our December selection. I didn't end up being able to make the discussion, and I finished the book late anyhow, but I'm thrilled I made a point of finishing this book, sooner rather than later, as I can't get it out of my head.
Louie Zamperini was a well known racer, one of the fastest milers out there, and even competed in the 1936 Berlin Olympics prior to the breakout of the second world war. To avoid the draft he joined up, a member of the Army Air Corp, making second lieutenant as a bombardier and found himself stationed in Hawaii. It was during a rescue mission that his own plane went down. Zamperini was one of only three survivors. Rescuers failed to locate the survivors, who after 47 days lost at sea were finally rescued, unfortunately by the Japanese. Zamperini spent the remainder of the war as a POW, unregistered, so per the American forces, he was declared legally dead. How he survived his wartime experiences and his repatriation is nothing short of awe inspiring.
I learned an incredible amount about the resilience of the human spirit. I'm literally speechless when I consider all that Zamperini went through and not only survived but managed to use it to make the world a better place through the boys camp he ran in his beloved mountains. I also learned much about the war that I had never previously heard. When most people discuss the war, they think of Hitler, Germany, the Holocaust. They don't even think about Japan, don't even know about the atrocities committed by the Japanese; in all my years of history classes (and I've taken far more than the norm) I don't think I ever once heard mention of Nanking or any of the other heinous act that the Japanese empire perpetrated. While it doesn't excuse our own treatment of American citizens of Japanese descent, I finally understand why they were so reviled and hated. This book really taught me a lot, way more than I expected and I'm so grateful to have read it. I recommend it to everyone I talk to when the subject of books or reading comes up. I've told my husband to read it at least a half dozen times. Unbroken is without a doubt one the best books I've read in 2011, and considering how many great books I've read this year, that is high praise indeed. ”
Sara W wrote this review Wednesday, December 14, 2011.
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