Unbroken
by Laura Hillenbrand
Random House 2010
In life, we are all tested. The peril that we face comes in all dimensions, internal and external. I have always been intrigued with why some people find sources of strength in the face of adversity to triumph, as others retreat to become victims. Is it confidence, love, athletic or mental prowess, faith, fate, or something else?
In Unbroken, Laura Hillenbrand, tells the story of an Olympic athlete falling into the Pacific early in World War II when his bomber was disabled. Louie Zamperini had been an Olympic champion in long distance running. The fliers were all too aware of the sharks in the water. Three men commenced a voyage in two life rafts with few provisions. The food was eaten quickly by one man. The men were but food for the ever present sharks. Setting a world record for survival at sea, they survived by catching birds, albatrosses, and fish, washed down with periodic rain showers. For more than 40 days they drifted with the currents, ever Westward into islands controlled by the merciless Japanese.
Louie and his surviving partner became entombed in one hellacious prison camp after another, tortured and starved as slaves to the enemy’s war effort. Other groups of prisoners were executed, a fate these brave men awaited on a daily basis.
How long would you survive in the water? In the prison camps? Through daily torture and starvation? How about the tropical and sanitary diseases? Losing more than half of your body weight? Is it possible to respect the Japanese people after reading these harrowing stories?
You will ask yourself these questions as you turn the pages of this beautifully crafted story. Ms. Hillenbrand is a best-selling non-fiction writer for very good reason. Her work is meticulously researched and presented as an easily readable, even captivating story.
Mr. Zamperini came home to land a beautiful young lady as his wife, only to fall into alcoholic despair, perhaps unable to rid his mind of the images of the imprisonment.
Whether you have religious faith or not, you will come to the end of Louie’s travail wondering why the resources that saw him through abandonment on the water and torture in captivity were absent in civilian life. Are the demons even greater? If one can be an Olympic and military champion, why can he not do the same at home in the arms of his sweetheart and holding his new baby?
Will he find faith after all that he has been through?
This is a simply wonderful story. Whether you like non-fiction or not, you will enjoy this experience. Ask yourself these questions as you enjoy a thrilling read.
Warms, Cym
Amazon
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