Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption
byLaura Hillenbrand
I was HOOKED to this book. What an amazing tale of persistence and strength of the human spirit, body and mind. Keep running Louis! Unbroken recounts the story of Louis Zamperini, an Olympic runner who heard the call of duty and became an airman during the second world war. One May afternoon in 1943, his Bomber crashed into the ocean with his crew, sounded by the vast Pacific Ocean with no one in side; stranded and facing starvation or sharks. They had another problem, there were in Japanese Territory, who were notorious for their brutality towards prisoners of war.
Motivations to Read
Seabiscuit is amazing, so I have faith that this author will tell another captivating story. Being born on veterans day, I grew up with a flood of military programming around the time of my birthday and took a fascination in World War II history and weaponry. I find a lot of inspiration in the tale of survivors and hope to witness more of the strength of the human spirit from this book.
3 Reasons to Read
- World War II survival story
- The life of Louie Zamperini, son of Italian immigrants, an Olympic Athlete by age 19, Broke the 4-minute mile, POW and WWII Hero
- Unbroken is a testament to the resilience of the human mind, body, and spirit
Notable Quotes
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. - Laura Hillenbrand The paradox of vengefulness is that it makes men dependent upon those who have harmed them, believing that their release from pain will come only when they make their tormentors suffer. In seeking the Bird's death to free himself, Louie had chained himself, once again, to his tyrant. During the war, the Bird had been unwilling to let go of Louie; after the war, Louie was unable to let go of the Bird. - Laura Hillenbrand Without dignity, identity is erased. In its absence, men are defined not by themselves, but by their captors and the circumstances in which they are forced to live. - Laura Hillenbrand
