Unbroken, written by Laura Hillenbrand, is a ‘sit on the edge of your seat’ kind of book that leaves you hanging with every new plot. The book rightfully earned it’s place as a #1 New York Times Bestseller. Hillenbrand conveys this already remarkable story in such a way that you find yourself lost in the world around you and submerged in World War II in the 40’s.
The protagonist of Unbroken, Louie Zamperini, is an Italian-American who starts the story as one of the worlds leading runners. When America goes to war, Louie enlisted to join the air force. The journey that would end up consuming the rest of his life began when a rescue plane he was flying crashed into the pacific. For forty-seven days, he and a member of his crew, Phil, were floating in a raft feeding of fish and drinking rainwater. They finally reached land, but unluckily it was the Marshal Islands, occupied by the Japanese at the time. From there, Phil and Louie were sent to a prisoner of war camp off the mainland of Japan. For over three years, Louie traveled to different POW camps, brutality harassed and tormented in each. For two of the years, Louie's was told that he had died in action, and though they tried not to, they had no choice but to accept this fact. When Louie was finally home, he found post traumatic stress disorder harder than anything. Turning to God, Louie was able to fill his heart with forgiveness and move on.
The story alone was remarkable and peculiar, but Louie’s endurance and will to survive is what truly make this story extraordinary. Louie was pushed to his limit so many times, yet with every challenge he found the strength inside himself to keep going. He first proves this to us during his running career, exemplifying the self discipline he had by training himself everyday, making it to the Olympics. He then proves that he can light the fire within himself when necessary by putting in the final kick in his races. Later, he finds ways to fish in the middle of the ocean when given no bait. When tormented over and over at the POW camps, Louie does not let the Japanese commanders get what they want by him showing defeat. In one instance, Louie was commanded to hold a six foot beam above his head and if he let it fall, he would get beaten. “He felt his consciousness slipping, his mind losing adhesion, until all he knew was a single thought: He cannot break me... Louie had held the beam aloft for thirty-seven minutes.” (Hillenbrand, 296).
The scene Hillenbrand portrays during the story changes many times. It starts of with the excitement and thrill of races. “One hundred thousand spectators ringed the track. Louie was terrified. He pressed his face to the grass, inhaling deeply, trying to settle his quivering nerves. When the time came, he rose, walked to the starting line, bowed forward, and waited. His paper number, 751, flapped against his chest.” (Hillenbrand, 33). From the scene of the race, Louie surroundings quickly change to that of war. He was stationed in Hawaii, and lived in barracks with hundreds of other men. Again, this quickly changed to desertion in the middle of the ocean, no life but Phil, Louie, and several sharks circling their raft. “It was an experience of transcendence. Phil watched the sky, whispering that it looked like a pearl. The water looked so solid that it seemed they could walk across it.” (Hillenbrand, 166). And finally, Louie was in the dirty, grungy POW camps. With little food, bad sanitation, smelly water and dirty men, there was absolutely nothing appealing about these camps.
The target of audience Hillenbrand was trying to reach was anyone who would enjoy and immensely interesting WWII story. The book is an easy read, and it would not be too difficult for a younger audience, although there is occasion foul language. This book takes on a different, nontraditional, approach to WWII, that of the Japanese vs. American war. This aspect also draws in many new readers.
The purpose for Hillenbrand to write this piece was 1: to share the remarkable story of Louie Zamperini, and 2: to share the will power Louie had throughout every turn in his road. In no point during the story was Louie about to give up, and he is truly an inspiration to anyone who reads it. Louie survived, fought, never gave up, and forgave. This group of lessons are the critical ones everyone should know, and Hillenbrand wrote this story to show a stellar example of these traits.
Hillenbrand writes about Louie in a positive manner from start to finish. She does her best to make Louie the most likable character, and she succeeds. She portrays him as a leader, dedicated, a fighter, and as a team player. If she didn’t write so highly of Louie, her goal of featuring Louie’s traits would not have been nearly as effective.
This story is written as novel, rather than a nonfiction. This draws in many readers who are looking to enjoy a good read, not a text book story. Hillenbrand uses a consistent flow throughout the book, so there is never much of a down time (such as a twenty page streak you try to force yourself through because nothing seems to be happening). She consistently keeps you interested, even throughout the dryer parts of the book.
Every component of this book adds to it making it a remarkable, unforgettable story. From the writing, to the lessons, and to the story, it is all in all a book worth anyones time. This book deserves three out of three Air Force Medals of Honor.