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mike_morse 's review for:
Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption
by Laura Hillenbrand
This is one of the very few books I've seen rated 5 stars on Amazon. With 1,600 or so reviews, there are 139 4 stars and ZERO 3, 2 or 1 star reviews. All the rest are 5 stars. I've read some of the 4 star reviews, and they read like most books' 5 star reviews. That's amazing, and I was anxious to see what all the fuss was about.
"Unbroken" is a World War II tale of survival. The story is amazing, and I think a lot of the 5 star reviews are giving 5 stars to the hero, Louie Zamperini, rather than the book, but no matter. A few of the 4 star reviews complain of the slow pace of the book. I tended to agree while I was reading it, but the truth is, by the end of the book, you almost feel like you've lived through Zamperini's ordeal yourself, and that wouldn't happen if the author left out some details.
What most affected me about this book was the story of World War II. Those of us who are anti-war look on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as atrocities. But compared to WWII, they seem like picnic spats. We worry about 3,000 American killed. In WWII, according to Wikipedia, 60 million (2.5% of the world population) were killed. We fret about a single helicopter crash. In WWII, the U.S. alone lost 45,000 aircraft, with most of the crews dying.
Today, we worry about roadside bombs that kill 20 people. World War II was ended by bombs that each wiped out 100,000 people and a complete city. No matter how anti-war you are, I suspect by the time you've read Zamperini's ordeal, you cannot wait for the Enola Gray. And today, just 50 years later, the Japanese are one of our best allies and trading partners. Now THAT is a miracle.
"Unbroken" is a World War II tale of survival. The story is amazing, and I think a lot of the 5 star reviews are giving 5 stars to the hero, Louie Zamperini, rather than the book, but no matter. A few of the 4 star reviews complain of the slow pace of the book. I tended to agree while I was reading it, but the truth is, by the end of the book, you almost feel like you've lived through Zamperini's ordeal yourself, and that wouldn't happen if the author left out some details.
What most affected me about this book was the story of World War II. Those of us who are anti-war look on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as atrocities. But compared to WWII, they seem like picnic spats. We worry about 3,000 American killed. In WWII, according to Wikipedia, 60 million (2.5% of the world population) were killed. We fret about a single helicopter crash. In WWII, the U.S. alone lost 45,000 aircraft, with most of the crews dying.
Today, we worry about roadside bombs that kill 20 people. World War II was ended by bombs that each wiped out 100,000 people and a complete city. No matter how anti-war you are, I suspect by the time you've read Zamperini's ordeal, you cannot wait for the Enola Gray. And today, just 50 years later, the Japanese are one of our best allies and trading partners. Now THAT is a miracle.