Unbroken Book Review

Unbroken Book Review Louis Zamperini has lived what can only be described as one of the greatest stories of all time and Laura Hillenbrand has captured it perfectly. Unbroken is the story of an amazing human being that is one of America’s war heroes, an Olympian and many more. Describing the story of Louis is something that I think the author has done extremely well and really adds to an already intriguing story. Laura Hillenbrand was born in Fairfax Virginia and has had two book being on the top seller list, one of which being Unbroken and the other called Seabiscuit: An American Legend. Both of these books did very well and she became a very well known author. Laura suffers form something known as chronic fatigue syndrome which became in apparent when she was starting out at university. This disease does clearly not slow her down as she is constantly working and writing books which I think is very amazing. Laura starts the book with Louis when he was kid, stealing things and beating up other people, to surviving on a raft for 47 days I could hardly take my eyes if the page the whole time I was reading it. The story shares the life of Louis and what he goes through. He grows up in a tough neighbourhood in LA and finds relief in running and racing. He trains for years and is then sent to the olympics to race for the American team. Once the war starts he is drafted into the army and sent to the Pacific Ocean to fight Japan. His plane breaks down and he is then captured and tortured by the Japanese until the war ends and he is rescued by the allied forces. I could not imagine what it would be like to be in in his shoes during the things the he experienced. The book is filled with descriptions of all things you could think of, from how much food the Olympian’s ate on a ferry to the incredible numbers of the fighter pilots dying in the war, it is a a very interesting book to read. Some parts of the book to get slightly repetitive and boring after awhile. For example, at one point it seems like there is too much talk about the planes and the pilots. It is very interesting for a little bit but after a few pages it’s gets fairly boring. That is soon fixed however when we are thrown right back into the action when there are bombings and many other such things. I also learned a lot more from the book then I though I would, many small facts are laid throughout which makes a very enjoyable learning experience. One such fact was that, “The salt content in seawater is so high that it is considered a poison. When a person drinks seawater, the kidneys must generate urine to flush the salt away, but to do so, they need more water than is contained in the seawater itself, so the body pulls water from its cells.” There also many parts of the book that have you a different perspective of people in the story. There were many people mentioned in the story such as the survivors on the raft, his crew mates and his family. It flashes to all of these different people at some point in the story it gives you a very different view on Louis’s life. One very powerful moment in the book was when the perspective changed to his mom when she received his personal belongings from the army once he had disappeared, “On October 6, Louie’s army trunk bumped onto his parents’ doorstep, heavy and final. Louise couldn’t bring herself to look inside.” Many things happen in this book and it is incredibly eye opening to what the soldiers had to go through during World War 2. While at some moments it describes horrible things that have happened to the prisoners in Japan, at others it shows the joy that Louis has seen throughout his life. One thing stays the same though, this book is something that you have to love and it will keep you engaged at all times while you are reading it.