Reviews

Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand

sunshine20806's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

3.0

An important story of POW treatment in Japan, but not a book I would revisit.

kateston40's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense medium-paced

4.5

whimsicalmeerkat's review against another edition

4.0

My father recommended this book, having apparently been so drawn in that he had to double check and confirm it was in fact non-fiction. [b:Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption|8664353|Unbroken A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption |Laura Hillenbrand|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1287702150s/8664353.jpg|12946965] is perhaps not so well written as I would like, but it is a deeply moving story. I was unfamiliar with Louis Zamperini before the story, despite his apparent fame, but that in no way changed my enjoyment of the book. He had an extraordinary life, in part by coincidence, but in larger part because of who he was. There was some unevenness to [a:Laura Hillenbrand|30913|Laura Hillenbrand|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1269922635p2/30913.jpg]'s narration, but the book seemed well-researched and the story was compelling. The only real complaint I have is

Spoiler

that at some point Jesus and Billy Graham miraculously and instantaneously cure Zamperini's PTSD and alcoholism. Then again, an author writes the story as it is related to them.

jana114's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative medium-paced

4.25

reader4evr's review against another edition

4.0

The more I read about different parts of WWII that were covered in school and I find out there were so many evil people.

Overall, I liked this book but it was so long. Parts of it kind of dragged and there was to much detail but I liked the way it was written (like fiction).

greypierce's review against another edition

5.0

A book that inspired me to read so many other books.

novelette's review against another edition

5.0

Haven't read Seabiscuit, so I don't have that previous work compare this to. That being said, I thought this book was wonderful and thought provoking.
One of my bookclub members thought that his story was over editorialized, stating that he wasn't really a hero. I argued that he is never noted as a hero. He is just a man that overcame his personal faults to better himself. The other members stated that this book could not compare to Seabiscuit.
All in all, I personally thought this was very very good, regardless of Louie's behavor or Hillenbrand's previous works

jennrocca's review against another edition

4.0

I resisted reading this for a long time because... I didn't want to read about suffering. There was far more suffering than I was anticipating (and I was anticipating suffering). There is so much darkness here. I learned *a lot*. I was interested throughout, the entire book is engaging. I don't regret reading it but I'm very glad I'm done. It's a book that made me feel physically weary.

k_katterhenry's review against another edition

5.0

one of the most entertaining history books I've read in a long time!

superdewa's review against another edition

3.0

A great story, well worth telling. Zamperini was inspiring and I learned a lot. I didn’t love how it was told though, which was disappointing because I loved Seabiscuit. The “cast” was big and confusing, and I wish she had found more ways to break up the torture chapters. I also didn’t know what came from documents, interviews, or was imagined. And I would have liked her to delve more deeply into some of the psychology and perceptions of her subjects. While I respect Zamperini’s choices, I felt like the questions she chose to ask and not ask showed her own religious perspective without being open a bit and that frustrated me.