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4.49k reviews for:
Unbroken (Movie Tie-in Edition): A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption
Laura Hillenbrand, Laura Hillenbrand
4.44 AVERAGE
4.49k reviews for:
Unbroken (Movie Tie-in Edition): A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption
Laura Hillenbrand, Laura Hillenbrand
4.44 AVERAGE
Perfect for those of us who get into the holiday spirit by reading tales of suffering, warfare, and the human capacity for unimaginable cruelty.
I'd give it 5 stars except that the beginning and ending are drawn out and long-winded, and there is a little too much attribution to Jesus and God for a book that's supposed to be about a human's experience as a POW (i.e., I'd rather it be a story of survival and resilience than a story of survival, resilience, and redemption).
I'd give it 5 stars except that the beginning and ending are drawn out and long-winded, and there is a little too much attribution to Jesus and God for a book that's supposed to be about a human's experience as a POW (i.e., I'd rather it be a story of survival and resilience than a story of survival, resilience, and redemption).
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
There has been forests of books written about WWII. They're all essentially the same: lots of heinous deeds done and lots of people realizing they're made of some pretty strong stuff. I don't mean to browbeat this book in particular, but the time in which I read a book is inextricably linked to my view on it. Truly, this is a powerful tale. Trouble is, it's so horrible.
Trapped on a raft for 47 days (yes you read that right) our hero gets "rescued" by the Japanese and spends the rest of the war in various POW camps. There he meets with vile villains that think nothing of violating the Genera convention at every turn. Once he is rescued at the end of the war (can't really have a biography if he didn't lived to tell his tale can you?) the troubles of dealing with PTSD and trying to acclimate to normal society are detailed.
It really is an amazing story. Trouble is, there are just so many amazing stories about the same event you can read. If you haven't read too much about WWII, then this is as good a place to start as any. Just be ware: the atrocities perpetrated by the Japanese in this book are really tough to read.
Trapped on a raft for 47 days (yes you read that right) our hero gets "rescued" by the Japanese and spends the rest of the war in various POW camps. There he meets with vile villains that think nothing of violating the Genera convention at every turn. Once he is rescued at the end of the war (can't really have a biography if he didn't lived to tell his tale can you?) the troubles of dealing with PTSD and trying to acclimate to normal society are detailed.
It really is an amazing story. Trouble is, there are just so many amazing stories about the same event you can read. If you haven't read too much about WWII, then this is as good a place to start as any. Just be ware: the atrocities perpetrated by the Japanese in this book are really tough to read.
Veteran’s Day is very appropriate timing to finish my 50th book of 2023: Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand.
Unbroken is the story of Louis Zamperini, a scamp turned Olympian, turned soldier, turned minister.
I’ve read a lot of books about WWII, but it struck me while reading this, that nearly all were set in the European theater, and I hadn’t read many stories regarding the war with Japan. I realized I didn’t really know much about it other than Pearl Harbor & the fateful, catastrophic dropping of the atomic bombs that brought the war to a close. The beginning and end, but no real context of the middle or why it happened at all.
For those not familiar with Zamperini’s story, he and his crew crashed in the Pacific Ocean on their B-24, of which only he and two others managed to survive. They lasted 47 days on a raft in the Pacific traveling over 2,000 miles, enduring starvation, lack of water, and constant shark attacks before being captured by the Japanese military & becoming POWs for the next 2.5 years.
I wasn’t aware of what Japanese POWs endured. Not just in WWII, but also in the two Sino-Japanese wars preceding. If you need an idea of the brutality honed by Japan in major conflicts prior to WWII, Google the “Rape of Nanjing.” But, steel yourself. It’s brutal.
A couple of startling statistics to give perspective:
1% of Allied Force POWs died in European POW camps, compared to near 40% of Allied Force POWs in Japanese camps. Those soldiers were mainly comprised of Americans, Canadians, & Australians. And in the twenty years after the ending of the war, Japanese POWs died -from a variety of mental & physical conditions- 20% faster than European POWs.
During the years of reconstruction, occupation, and relentless Westernization of Japan, there was a massive reckoning for these abuses. When asked about the violations of the Geneva Convention one guard testified at trial, “This wasn’t Geneva, it was Japan.”
Most know of the concept of Japanese harikiri/seppuku, ritualistic suicide as a means to preserve honor. Being that these prisoners were already “dishonored” by being captured, the horror wasn’t just the abuse, disease, & starvation, but the ongoing humiliation such as cleaning outhouses with their bare hands, being forced to eat dirt, and endure harsh labor conditions so rough, young men in their 20s would sit down to nap & pass away in their sleep from their bodies being utterly spent.
Zamperini, like most of the POWs, had a difficult time with PTSD once he returned to civilian life, and became an alcoholic. He ended up finding therapy in religion, and became a public speaker who went on a famous campaign of forgiveness to Japan, sitting down with some of the men who so egregiously abused him.
Louis Zamperini went on to live a very full life, dying at 98. He had a family, learned how to skateboard in his 80s. As a former track Olympian, he ran with the torch in the opening ceremony of the 1998 Winter Olympics. In his 90s, he was still climbing trees. He’s a testament to how much a person can endure & still find joy.
The Coen Brothers wrote a screenplay eventually turned film, directed by Angelina Jolie. I didn’t know it existed, but feel compelled to watch at this point.
Unbroken has been on my TBR since I received it as a Christmas gift over a decade ago. It is coming up for NRH Library’s Books & Brews (NF) book club next week, so the timing was perfect. Probably not a book I would’ve picked up on my own, but worth the time nonetheless.
Unbroken is the story of Louis Zamperini, a scamp turned Olympian, turned soldier, turned minister.
I’ve read a lot of books about WWII, but it struck me while reading this, that nearly all were set in the European theater, and I hadn’t read many stories regarding the war with Japan. I realized I didn’t really know much about it other than Pearl Harbor & the fateful, catastrophic dropping of the atomic bombs that brought the war to a close. The beginning and end, but no real context of the middle or why it happened at all.
For those not familiar with Zamperini’s story, he and his crew crashed in the Pacific Ocean on their B-24, of which only he and two others managed to survive. They lasted 47 days on a raft in the Pacific traveling over 2,000 miles, enduring starvation, lack of water, and constant shark attacks before being captured by the Japanese military & becoming POWs for the next 2.5 years.
I wasn’t aware of what Japanese POWs endured. Not just in WWII, but also in the two Sino-Japanese wars preceding. If you need an idea of the brutality honed by Japan in major conflicts prior to WWII, Google the “Rape of Nanjing.” But, steel yourself. It’s brutal.
A couple of startling statistics to give perspective:
1% of Allied Force POWs died in European POW camps, compared to near 40% of Allied Force POWs in Japanese camps. Those soldiers were mainly comprised of Americans, Canadians, & Australians. And in the twenty years after the ending of the war, Japanese POWs died -from a variety of mental & physical conditions- 20% faster than European POWs.
During the years of reconstruction, occupation, and relentless Westernization of Japan, there was a massive reckoning for these abuses. When asked about the violations of the Geneva Convention one guard testified at trial, “This wasn’t Geneva, it was Japan.”
Most know of the concept of Japanese harikiri/seppuku, ritualistic suicide as a means to preserve honor. Being that these prisoners were already “dishonored” by being captured, the horror wasn’t just the abuse, disease, & starvation, but the ongoing humiliation such as cleaning outhouses with their bare hands, being forced to eat dirt, and endure harsh labor conditions so rough, young men in their 20s would sit down to nap & pass away in their sleep from their bodies being utterly spent.
Zamperini, like most of the POWs, had a difficult time with PTSD once he returned to civilian life, and became an alcoholic. He ended up finding therapy in religion, and became a public speaker who went on a famous campaign of forgiveness to Japan, sitting down with some of the men who so egregiously abused him.
Louis Zamperini went on to live a very full life, dying at 98. He had a family, learned how to skateboard in his 80s. As a former track Olympian, he ran with the torch in the opening ceremony of the 1998 Winter Olympics. In his 90s, he was still climbing trees. He’s a testament to how much a person can endure & still find joy.
The Coen Brothers wrote a screenplay eventually turned film, directed by Angelina Jolie. I didn’t know it existed, but feel compelled to watch at this point.
Unbroken has been on my TBR since I received it as a Christmas gift over a decade ago. It is coming up for NRH Library’s Books & Brews (NF) book club next week, so the timing was perfect. Probably not a book I would’ve picked up on my own, but worth the time nonetheless.
Mylanta what a great book. Not my usual cup of tea but got quite teary in places. A touching story of resilience and forgiveness.
This book is just as good as promised. A riveting and image evoking tale masterfully written.
I could not recommend this book more highly! Parts of the book are hard to read, but I felt like I learned so much about strength, determination, and the limits of the human spirit.
adventurous
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
A very compelling story and a very readable book.
emotional
sad
tense