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Whoa. 

An incredible telling of Louis Zamperini’s life. Thoroughly researched but not too detailed for a civilian to understand; a perfect balance of facts, anecdotes, and reflection to keep the reader engaged; expertly paced. 

A warning that the gruesome details in this story will not be tolerated by everyone. However, ‘Unbroken’ shines an important light on the atrocities committed against POW in the Pacific Theatre during WWII. It details the struggles so many heroes faced returning from war - PTSD, alcoholism, depression. It conveys the despondency, the camaraderie, and the glimmers of hope these men felt during a time most of us couldn’t begin to fathom. 

This one will stick with you. Highly, highly recommend.

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dingadine's profile picture

dingadine's review

5.0
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Finally finished this book club pick, only two months late 🤪 But wow am I glad I did. What an exceptionally written, heart-wrenching, absolutely gutting yet beautiful story. The author does an incredible job of weaving narrative with historical context & facts to create a picture of Louie Zamperini’s life that is not an incredible story alone but a truly remarkable relaying of history. I honestly didn’t know anything about his life beforehand & I haven’t seen the movie, which I feel made the book even more poignant & riveting (& stressful) for me. Though at times difficult to read because of the atrocities of war, I highly recommend this book.

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millopizza99's review

3.5
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Unbroken wasn’t my favorite book because I’m not a huge non-fiction fan. But, I liked the sweet ending and how the author kept the book engaging. Laura’s writing in this book is very good. I would say this is a phenomenal book for someone wanting to read non-fiction and is mentally mature enough to read through some very difficult experiences. Louie’s perseverance through his abuse is so inspiring, although I will say this is a “hard to read” book because the abuse is so intense and well written. It was difficult to read through, at least for me, because it really brings so many emotions. I felt scared, sad, almost like I was going to throw up from how intense his experiences are, disgust from some of the things they did/had to eat, etc. I would recommend you read this book if you are at least college aged or higher.

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dabrookes's review

4.5
adventurous challenging emotional reflective slow-paced

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bluetyfighter01's review

5.0
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I was a bit daunted about the length of this for a historical/nonfiction book (as they sometimes can be very detailed/dry, and that kind of WWII history is definitely some folks' jam but wasn't what I was in the mood for), but it's very well-written and I found it engaging storytelling. 

Covers the story and experiences of a group of young men serving in the Pacific theater during WWII whose plane went down in the ocean-- that's event is presented in the synopsis and start of the book as the main component, and it is a substantial event/turning point in the narratives, but it also covers a good deal of some individuals' "back stories" (lives before the war) and the survivors' experiences in the years following the plane crash. 

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