The Tale of Louis Zamperini

I knew about 10% of this story going into it, mostly due to the publicity surrounding the movie adaptation, so a lot of it really surprised me. It’s truly an incredible story, and the writing and research by Laura Hillenbrand fleshes it out wonderfully.

“Dignity is as essential to human life as water, food, and oxygen. The stubborn retention of it, even in the face of extreme physical hardship, can hold a man’s soul in his body long past the point at which the body should have surrendered it.”

Louis Zamperini started life as a kid constantly getting into trouble — thieving, fighting, cutting school, etc. Things changed when his brother Pete recognized Louie’s potential as a runner — one who ended up competing in the Berlin Olympics. Then Louie enlisted in the air force, and in 1943, he found himself on a bomber above the Pacific Ocean. When the plane crashed, Louie and two of his crewmates spent 47 days on a raft, before getting picked up by the Japanese and thrown into a POW camp. There Louie spent more than two years, under horrible conditions and struggling to maintain his dignity and willpower.

Unbroken is not an easy book to read — Zamperini and the men around him endure terrible torments and deprivations during their time in the POW camp. But Zamperini’s spirit remains strong, and he makes an excellent character to root for. Hillenbrand’s writing is superb (I’ve had Seabiscuit on my TBR shelf for ages — might have to bump that up) and it’s quite obvious how much time and energy she put into the research and interviews that brought this book to life.