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4.47k reviews for:
Unbroken (Movie Tie-in Edition): A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption
Laura Hillenbrand, Laura Hillenbrand
4.44 AVERAGE
4.47k reviews for:
Unbroken (Movie Tie-in Edition): A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption
Laura Hillenbrand, Laura Hillenbrand
4.44 AVERAGE
A self-admitted history and Summer Olympics geek, I really enjoyed this book. It was meticulously researched and the story was engaging throughout. I did get confused with some of the less developed characters Louie encounters over his journey as they sometimes seemed indistinguishable and I felt the conversion story was just a little too easy, but overall a compelling and worthwhile read.
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.
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
I learned so much from this book. My father fought in the pacific in WWII and this book gave me appreciation for how scared he must have been. This story was horrifying bc of the terrible things people are capable of doing but also totally inspirational. Not just bc the main character has such incredible strength and resilience (and capacity for forgiveness) but also bc there are as many stories of people being kind as people being awful. The POWs who shared food with each other even while starving. Louie on his skateboard in his 80s. This book is well crafted and fascinating-- i just dont get those who found it slow or boring. I know others thought it went too far into Louie's background but I thought that was essential to the story and interesting in its own right. And while I'm not a fan of religion, I really didn't see Louie's faith as just another crutch like alcohol. He truly seemed to find joy in life even after seeing such cruelty-whatever lets you do that, go for it.
I enjoyed this book very much. As others have said, it reads more like a novel than a non-fiction retelling of one man's experiences during WWII. One of my favorite books is William Manchester's The Glory and the Dream and I found Hillenbrand's conversational tone very similar to Manchester's writing style. I was by turns horrified and amazed by the trials Louis Zamperini faced during the war. It was sometimes a challenge for me to like him but his inner strength and tenacity is remarkable.
This is also the kind of book that made me examine my own life, behaviors and values as I read about life experiences so far removed from my own.
This is also the kind of book that made me examine my own life, behaviors and values as I read about life experiences so far removed from my own.
I could not put this book down. I would literally make up excuses not to go out to read this book. A few of my friends had said that Seabiscuit was a bit tough to get into, so I was nervous to start this book because I knew the content alone would be powerful. Hillenbrand's writing was clear and held my attention. Louie Zamperini's story only solidified the my feeling that I am the biggest wuss in the world.
amazing true story of Louis Zamperini, an Olympic runner, on track to break the 4-minute mile. Just before Pearl Harbor, he joined the Army Air Force. Flew a critical mission against the Japanese. On another mission, to search for a downed plane, his plane crashes over the ocean and only 3 survive. One dies, he and pilot Phil spend 47 days on a raft in the Pacific before landing on a Japanese island. Spends next 2 ½ years in a series of Japanese POW camps, under brutal treatment by Japanese guards who do not follow Geneva Convention. War finally ends and he is rescued, but spends next five years struggling against inner demons and alcoholism although he marries and has a baby girl. Wife drags him to a sermon by emerging preacher Billy Graham and Louis is suddenly filled with God’s love and he quits drinking and never has another flashback. Lives a Christian life, raises a family, opens a camp for wayward boys, and is a Christian motivational speaker. Still alive in his 90s. Although he didn’t get to run in the post-war Olympics due to a debilitating leg injury, he later gets to run the Olympic torch in 1988.
This book really saddened me, as I kept thinking about how my family members must have felt, during WWII. A lot of things that they knew about, were kept secret, not spoken of. One family member died during WWII, in the Bataan death march. I could not put this book down. I really enjoyed the story telling, up until the last part. Ironically, when things should have gotten better, I felt like it really got worse. I don't want to add spoilers. I think that this is an important book, because so much of the history that is taught in high school and college, focuses upon the events that occurred in Europe, kind of glossing over the Pacific theater. This book has really been an education, and I have reflected on it, a lot.
Would have liked to seen more on the unification and reconciliation with the japanese guards. Its rare, perhaps unprecidented, to see a pacific wwii memoir to completely explore both sides.
Instead of this novel, i'd recommend _Darkness Visible_, by William Manchester, or WWII by James Jones.
Instead of this novel, i'd recommend _Darkness Visible_, by William Manchester, or WWII by James Jones.
