CBR 10 Bingo Entry: The Book Was Better? I spent some time pondering what I’d like to read for the “Book Was Better” category for CBR 10 Bingo. With so many options, I was falling victim to decision paralysis, when a trip to my local library helped me solve the problem. While dropping off some books, I stopped into the Friends of the Library bookstore, not expecting to find anything. But then my eye was caught by a hardbound copy of Seabiscuit in excellent condition, […]
“…an undersized, crooked-legged racehorse named Seabiscuit.”
“In 1938… the year’s #1 newsmaker was not FDR, Hitler, or Mussolini. Nor was it Lou Gehrig or Clark Gable. The subject of the most newspaper column inches in 1938 wasn’t even a person. It was an undersized, crooked-legged racehorse named Seabiscuit.” I really liked Laura Hillenbrand’s Unbroken — not just the story (probably one of the most depressing things I’ve read all year) but the way she told it. I liked it enough to bump up another of her biographies on my TBR shelf: Seabiscuit: An American […]
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 […]
If you think you’re having a bad day…
This is a life-is-stranger-than-fiction book from the same author who wrote Seabiscuit. In this World War II era biography, Hillenbrand explores the life of Louis Zamperini. Once the trouble-maker of his neighborhood, in high school Zamperini focuses his talents on running, even making the Olympics for the 5000 meter race in 1936. His experience in Berlin was an adventure for the 19 year old, with memories of eating to excess, meeting people from around the world, and placing 8th in his race. But there were […]