In PLP Humanities 10 we have been studying World War Two and when it came time to set off for Spring Break for two weeks we were given the task to read a World War Two book of our choice. Well it was kind of our choice. We got to pick from , Code Name Verity , All The Light We Can Not See, and Unbroken . I read all the summaries for the books and ended up choosing Unbroken. Unbroken is an amazing nonfiction story about a man named Louis Zamperini and his struggle through the war. Here is the review that I wrote about the book. Enjoy.
Laura Hillenbrand found Louis ‘Louie’ Zamperini just in time. He was in his mid-80s when she worked with him to create this book and now, sadly, he has passed away. Louie has one of the most interesting war stories around. Unbroken is the story of perseverance, strength and forgiveness. You’ll be riveted by all the trials and tribulations our hero, Louie, goes through before he becomes an Olympic runner, then serves in WW2 and ends up in a Japanese prisoner of war camp.
The story starts in the United States with a nine year old Louie who loves to get in trouble. He steals from the corner store and one thing he always does consistently is outrun the police. In the book, Unbroken, Louie’s brother states “ that boy can run like the wind.” As a boy, Louie watches the runners at his brother’s track and field practices. One day his brother decides to make Louie try out for the track team. Louie runs his heart out and makes the team.
Ever since that day Louie trains and races. He beats the men’s high school record for the fastest mile. In fact Louie is so good that he tries out for the Olympics. As he is leaving, his brother Pete says to him “Louie, a moment of suffering is worth a lifetime of glory.” This sticks with Louie and it becomes the premise for how he lives his life. Louie goes to the Olympics to hopefully bring home gold. His entire family is listening to the big race over the radio. The race starts and Louie quickly drops to the back of the pack. For most of the race he stays there. The last lap comes around and Louie remembers what his brother told him before he left “a moment of suffering is worth a lifetime of glory”. Louie ends up finishing that race and breaking the world record for the fastest lap ever in that race.
Skip forward in time and Louie is over the Pacific Ocean in a B24 bomber on a search and rescue mission in WW2. The plane that Louie and his crew are flying is a parts plane and was put together with different parts from different airplanes. This doesn’t bode well for him and his crew. An hour into their search mission it all goes wrong. The left engine cuts out and then the right engine until they are coasting and the captain yells to brace for impact. They hit the water and Louie is stuck in the plane. He shimmies his way out and up to the surface. He finds the plane’s raft and helps two other survivors, Mac and Phil, into the raft. Time passes and they run out of food. Mac unfortunately succumbs to his injuries and passes away.
Days pass and when day 47 hits, a big ship pulls up to the raft. It is the Japanese. They take Louie and the other survivor, Phil, to a Japanese camp to beat information out of them. They take Louie to a prisoner of war camp just outside of Tokyo. The Japanese learn that Louie is an Olympian and they offer him a deal. If he reads a Japanese script on a radio broadcast to America, he can go home, otherwise he’ll be sent back to the POW camp. Louie doesn’t agree and is sent back to the camp. Later Louie and everyone at the camp move to work at a different camp. This is where Louie encounters the Bird who is a nasty Japanese prison guard. For example, the Bird tells Louie to hold up a heavy beam and if he is drops it he will be shot.
The war ends and the story of overcoming challenges continues as Louie struggles to get back into post war life as a husband and father. You should read the story to see how it all ends. As a reader, I found it satisfying to see how Louie eventually rises up to every challenge. I love to live by the same motto that Louie’s brother told him about: “A moment of suffering is worth a life time of glory. It’s hard to believe that this story is non-fiction because it is difficult to imagine living through these challenges and coming out alive. Hillenbrand, who also wrote the book, Sea Biscuit, does a good job in recounting Louie’s dramatic life events and describing how he overcomes the hardships. This is a must-read book for teens and adults of all ages and you’ll look at life differently when you’re finished.
