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

Description

In boyhood, Louis Zamperini was an incorrigible delinquent. As a teenager, he channeled his defiance into running, discovering a prodigious talent that had carried him to the Berlin Olympics. But when World War II began, the athlete became an airman, embarking on a journey that led to a doomed flight on a May afternoon in 1943. When his Army Air Forces bomber crashed into the Pacific Ocean, against all odds, Zamperini survived, adrift on a foundering life raft. Ahead of Zamperini lay thousands of miles of open ocean, leaping sharks, thirst and starvation, enemy aircraft, and, beyond, a trial even greater. Driven to the limits of endurance, Zamperini would answer desperation with ingenuity; suffering with hope, resolve, and humor; brutality with rebellion. His fate, whether triumph or tragedy, would be suspended on the fraying wire of his will.

Appearing in paperback for the first time—with twenty arresting new photos and an extensive Q&A with the author—Unbroken is an unforgettable testament to the resilience of the human mind, body, and spirit, brought vividly to life by Seabiscuit author Laura Hillenbrand.

Hailed as the top nonfiction book of the year by Time magazine • Winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for biography and the Indies Choice Adult Nonfiction Book of the Year award

“Extraordinarily moving . . . a powerfully drawn survival epic.”—The Wall Street Journal

“[A] one-in-a-billion story . . . designed to wrench from self-respecting critics all the blurby adjectives we normally try to avoid: It is amazing, unforgettable, gripping, harrowing, chilling, and inspiring.”—New York

“Staggering . . . mesmerizing . . . Hillenbrand’s writing is so ferociously cinematic, the events she describes so incredible, you don’t dare take your eyes off the page.”—People

“A meticulous, soaring and beautifully written account of an extraordinary life.”—The Washington Post

“Ambitious and powerful . . . a startling narrative and an inspirational book.”—The New York Times Book Review

“Magnificent . . . incredible . . . [Hillenbrand] has crafted another masterful blend of sports, history and overcoming terrific odds; this is biography taken to the nth degree, a chronicle of a remarkable life lived through extraordinary times.”—The Dallas Morning News

“An astonishing testament to the superhuman power of tenacity.”—Entertainment Weekly

“A tale of triumph and redemption . . . astonishingly detailed.”—O: The Oprah Magazine

“[A] masterfully told true story . . . nothing less than a marvel.”—Washingtonian

“[Hillenbrand tells this] story with cool elegance but at a thrilling sprinter’s pace.”—Time

“Hillenbrand [is] one of our best writers of narrative history. You don’t have to be a sports fan or a war-history buff to devour this book—you just have to love great storytelling.”—Rebecca Skloot, author of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

User’s Reviews

Review “Extraordinarily moving . . . a powerfully drawn survival epic.”—The Wall Street Journal “[A] one-in-a-billion story . . . designed to wrench from self-respecting critics all the blurby adjectives we normally try to avoid: It is amazing, unforgettable, gripping, harrowing, chilling, and inspiring.”—New York “Staggering . . . mesmerizing . . . Hillenbrand’s writing is so ferociously cinematic, the events she describes so incredible, you don’t dare take your eyes off the page.”—People “A meticulous, soaring and beautifully written account of an extraordinary life.”—The Washington Post “Ambitious and powerful . . . a startling narrative and an inspirational book.”—The New York Times Book Review “Marvelous . . . Unbroken is wonderful twice over, for the tale it tells and for the way it’s told. . . . It manages maximum velocity with no loss of subtlety.”—Newsweek “Moving and, yes, inspirational . . . [Laura] Hillenbrand’s unforgettable book . . . deserve[s] pride of place alongside the best works of literature that chart the complications and the hard-won triumphs of so-called ordinary Americans and their extraordinary time.”—Maureen Corrigan, Fresh Air “Hillenbrand . . . tells [this] story with cool elegance but at a thrilling sprinter’s pace.”—Time “Unbroken is too much book to hope for: a hellride of a story in the grip of the one writer who can handle it. . . . When it comes to courage, charisma, and impossible adventure, few will ever match ‘the boy terror of Torrance,’ and few but the author of Seabiscuit could tell his tale with such humanity and dexterity. Hillenbrand has given us a new national treasure.”—Christopher McDougall, author of Born to Run “Riveting . . . an exceptional portrait . . . So haunting and so beautifully written, those who fall under its spell will never again feel the same way about World War II and one of its previously unsung heroes.”—The Columbus Dispatch “Magnificent . . . incredible . . . [Hillenbrand] has crafted another masterful blend of sports, history and overcoming terrific odds; this is biography taken to the nth degree, a chronicle of a remarkable life lived through extraordinary times.”—The Dallas Morning News “No other author of narrative nonfiction chooses her subjects with greater discrimination or renders them with more discipline and commitment. If storytelling were an Olympic event, [Hillenbrand would] medal for sure.”—Salon“A celebration of gargantuan fortitude . . . full of unforgettable characters, multi-hanky moments and wild turns . . . Hillenbrand is a muscular, dynamic storyteller.”—The New York Times“[A] masterfully told true story . . . nothing less than a marvel.”—Washingtonian“Zamperini’s story is certainly one of the most remarkable survival tales ever recorded. What happened after that is equally remarkable.”—Graydon Carter, Vanity Fair“Irresistible . . . Hillenbrand demonstrates a dazzling ability—one Seabiscuit only hinted at—to make the tale leap off the page.”—Elle“A tale of triumph and redemption . . . astonishingly detailed.”—O: The Oprah Magazine“An astonishing testament to the superhuman power of tenacity.”—Entertainment Weekly“Intense . . . You better hold onto the reins.”—The Boston Globe“Incredible . . . Zamperini’s life is one of courage, heroism, humility and unflagging endurance.”—St. Louis Post Dispatch“Hillenbrand has once again brought to life the true story of a forgotten hero, and reminded us how lucky we are to have her, one of our best writers of narrative history. You don’t have to be a sports fan or a war-history buff to devour this book—you just have to love great storytelling.”—Rebecca Skloot, author of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

Reviews from Amazon users, collected at the time the book is getting published on UniedVRG. It can be related to shiping or paper quality instead of the book content:

⭐ Laura Hillenbrand follows her spectacular biography of race horse Seabiscuit with the gripping tale of Louis Zamperini’s life and tribulations as a downed airman in WWII. “Unbroken” is written in Hillenbrand’s inimitable style, blending global events with personal anecdotes from the lives of Lt. Zamperini and his family and fellow airmen.Prior to the war, Zamperini had overcome serious obstacles to become one of the best milers in track and field history, competing in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin with Jesse Owens and other famous American Olympians. As America entered WWII he became a bombardier flying B-24s in the Pacific Theater. When his plane ditched in a remote part of the Pacific, Louie and two colleagues survived the crash, and drifted thousands of miles for more than 47 days before being picked up by a Japanese ship. During those weeks they endured unthinkable hardships: one of their companions died aboard the life raft, they were repeatedly attacked by sharks, and strafed by Japanese planes.After Louis and his pilot, Russell Allen Phillips were “rescued,” an even more harrowing journey began, as both men were incarcerated in a series of brutal Japanese POW camps. The vivid descriptions of camp conditions and the inhuman brutality of many of the prison guards are gut wrenching. The depth of depravity that Louie and his fellow prisoners had to endure is unimaginable, and the fact that he survived to live a productive life is a testament to his incredibly resilient and unbreakable will and spirit.The author does not shrink from telling about Louie’s post-war troubles with alcohol, rage and PTSD. The account of Zamperini’s reluctant encounter with evangelist Billy Graham,is touching and instructive, for it proved to be the event that allowed Louie to finally come to peace with his hatred of the worst of the Japanese guards, Mutsuhiro Watanabe, “The Bird,” Louie was finally free of the haunting nightmares and his need to seek revenge.As I was reading this book, one of my close friends saw the book in my hand and said: “This book changed my life!” The story of Louie Zamperini and his trials and tribulations is that inspiring.

⭐ In the genre of novels about world war 2, there are many gems – MANY. Yet, once in a while, we find a bad author like Hillenbrand, trying to capitalize on others’ suffering. Let’s call them out – let’s not allow such people to get away with it!This book is disappointing. Through and through!First of all, there is a staggering degree of exaggeration – things like wack-a-mole with sharks, which doesn’t hold scientific review with the nature of shark behavior, which highlight that this author is ready to sacrifice integrity for money – so that nothing written in this book seems fully believable anymore!Then, what is Louie? He could run a mile under four minutes? But who cares?! We live in the civilized world, which celebrates man’s mental prowess – who cares about his animal capacities sans brains? What did Louie do in WW2? Zip – nothing much useful, but be propaganda POW for the Japanese – and he’s the hero of this novel? Give me a break – portraying him as the hero I think is disrespectful to actual world war 2 heroes who sacrificed their everything, and often even their lives for the freedom we enjoy today – this guy does not stand out among those heroes! He and his 4 minute mile wasn’t what decided the outcome of the war!And then, he comes back and has this awful thing for this blonde girl – author’s emphasis on blondeness! Let’s celebrate Hitler’s thing for the “Aryan descent” instead of celebrating humanity? That was the part where the book completely lost me!In short, this is a disappointing book. I never imagined that I’d ever be so disappointed with a world war 2 book, but here I am – and Hillenbrand has accomplished that unimaginable!:(

⭐ I’m a voracious reader. Addicted to reading since I was a young child. I love and read a great deal of history. This book was hands down, one of the best written I’ve ever read on WWII. Laura Hillenbrand is now as beloved an author to me as Stephen Ambrose. My grandfather spent years in Europe during WWII. My mother tells the story of meeting her father for the first time when he came home after the war. He left when she was a toddler and she has no memories of him before the war. Sadly, there was no information on PTSD in those years. He did his best, but the war broke him in profound ways that would chase all his children and grandchildren through the years. This book has given me great sadness for what all the men suffered, but has also healed a wound. Grandfather didn’t hate us all, he was merely dealing with a burden he could never share. Great book. Very well written. I haven’t stayed up all night reading in many years, but this book have me that rare pleasure of trading sleep for getting lost in a story.

⭐ First off, I must say that I am very encouraged to see the THOUSANDS of positive reviews of this book. The bravery, unbelievable sacrifices, devotion, patriotism, and tenacity of “The Greatest Generation” should never be forgotten. I am heartened to see that even in this day and age of Political Correctness, many share my feelings on the matter.Please bear with me for a moment, while I provide a little personal background before launching into my review. I feel it is relevant.I can very proudly say that my parents (I am 51) were members of that generation to whom we all owe an immeasurable amount of gratitude. At the time of World War II, My father was a very young Marine (one of my pet peeves is seeing “Marine” spelled with a lowercase “m”) who joined the USMC shortly after the war broke out. As so many in the US military did, he fought the Japanese in the Pacific from one hell hole island to another. Thankfully, he made it home safely, and went on to lead a very distinguished career in the United States Marine Corps. Sadly, he died when I was only 17 (he was a much too young 59), and many is the time I have wished I could have talked to him about his war experiences, especially since I have grown to become an avid student of history for the past 25 years. Note; if there are any members or past members of the US military in your family or circle of friends, LISTEN TO THEM ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCES! I was young and stupid, and my opportunity is lost.Now for the book. POSSIBLE SPOILERS…..This book is Odyssean in its vast tapestry of one epic struggle after another. The name of Louis Zamperini is one that, hopefully now, thanks to Laura Hillenbrand, will become a household name in the pantheon of great Americans. From the time of his youth, to the rigors of the Olympics, to the gripping fear of aerial combat, she traces his remarkable life through a seemingly never ending ordeal of survival while being lost at sea for a record 47 days, only to be captured by the Japanese to endure a withering, seemingly ceaseless nightmare of thirst, starvation, torture, sickness, humiliation, loss and loneliness, eventually becoming a fixed recipient of unbelievable brutality by a sick and twisted sadist who is relentless in his devotion to break Mr. Zamperini’s spirit.Frequently, when thinking about WWII vets, I have often wondered out loud to my wife; “how in the world did these guys, after seeing what they saw and experiencing what they experienced, get on with normal’ life?” Indeed, one could argue that Louis Zamperini’s greatest challenges came AFTER he experienced a multitude of challenges that would have utterly destroyed most people in body, mind and soul. Thankfully for Louis and his family (and his family is VERY much a part of the story), he eventually found a way. Regarding his family, this book should appeal to many people across a wide spectrum, as Laura Hillenbrand takes us into the thoughts and emotions of those who loved him most, and we share in their seemingly interminable hours of agony, spent in the uncertainty of any knowledge of the well being of one they held so dear.The book is very well researched, and one can tell that Laura Hillenbrand certainly put a Herculean amount of effort into putting it together. My only negative critique would be that I occasionally found some of the sentence structure to be a bit choppy. However, that being said, she does a wonderful job of allowing us, as much as possible within a book, to see, hear, smell, feel, and taste the details of a story that stagger the imagination. It is emotionally riveting.This book will inspire you, make you angry, make you cry, and make you immeasurably proud to be an American. Ultimately, it will reveal in a very raw, graphic, (this book is not for the squeamish), heartbreaking and heartwarming way, the indomitable spirit of mankind, and how one man, after living through seven kinds of hell, remained, UNBROKEN.Please allow me to close by expressing a deeply heartfelt THANK YOU to all the brave and wonderful men and women, past, present, and future, who wear the uniform, be it Army, Navy, Air Force, United States Marine Corps, Coast Guard, or National Guard. We live free because you serve.

⭐ Had not heard of the story of Louis Zamperini until I read this book several months after my daughter gave it to me. I was inspired by Louis’s resilience through the gruesome ordeal of his World War 2 bomber going down in the ocean, surviving for over 1.5 months in rafts, and then enduring brutal treatment in Japanese prison camps. His Christian conversion after the war freed him from the PTSD effects he was still experiencing from his previous POW captivity. It also allowed him to forgive his captors, including his biggest tormentor. He then built a camp and ran a program ministering to at-risk youth. Louis could identify with them since he was only knew Italian when he started school, being bullied and becoming an incorrigible delinquent as a result. Through the prodding of Louis’s older brother, Louis took up running and set long-lasting mile run records in both high school and college, also competing in the 1936 Berlin Olympics 5,000 meter run when he was just 19. The book moved me so much that I watched videos and read everything I could find about Louis on the internet. I got and watched the Unbroken movie DVD and another DVD based on his life as well. I ordered this book for my brother since I thought he could benefit from it as I did. This was one of the best books I’ve ever read.

⭐ Overview: an inspiring yet horrifying true story of an olympic athlete/WWII hero/inspirational speaker and leader. Haunting and inspirational and highlights the importance of strength, resilience, and never giving up. Recommend to any individual with an interest in WWII or anyone looking for a true life hero story 7.5/10The good: Their were several major highlights for me with this book, but the biggest was that despite how dark this was, and how many horrible things Louie Zamperini had to endure, the overall tone of this entire novel is hope. Despite all the atrocities he had to endure, the main character never, ever gives up. This determination, or “unbrokenness” was the heart of the novel to me and have never met a character that taught me this as deeply as Louie did. I found this quote to really highlight his spirit and he shows this hopefulness and determination time and time again throughout the story.“Though all three men faced the same hardship, their differing perceptions of it appeared to be shaping their fates. Louie and Phil’s hope displaced their fear and inspired them to work toward their survival, and each success renewed their physical and emotional vigor. Mac’s resignation seemed to paralyze him and the less he participated in their efforts to survive, the more he slipped. Though he did the least, as the days passed, it was he who faded the most. Louie and Phil’s optimism, and Mac’s hopelessness, were becoming self-fulfilling.”This story is 100% true (minus the number of sharks in the ocean I think) and it is one that will stay with me for a long time. In addition to the overall theme, I really enjoyed the layout of the story. Oftentimes I find books like this very choppy, but the flow was wonderful and everything came together nicely. In the process, I learned a ton more about WWII I had never known before.Great writing, important themes executed well throughout, and an unforgettable hero.The bad: Not much to write here but be warned, this is a very heavy read. Lots of very dark scenes and images that stayed with me long after. Even though hope and strength win in the end, there are some very disturbing aspects to this book and the fact that it is non-fiction makes it even worse.Favorite quotes:“The paradox of vengefulness is that it makes men dependent upon those who have harmed them, believing that their release from pain will come only when their tormentors suffer.”“Dignity is as essential to human life as water, food, and oxygen. The stubborn retention of it, even in the face of extreme physical hardship, can hold a man’s soul in his body long past the point at which the body should have surrendered it.”“At that moment, something shifted sweetly inside him. It was forgiveness, beautiful and effortless and complete. For Louie Zamperini, the war was over.”“What God asks of men, said [Billy] Graham, is faith. His invisibility is the truest test of that faith. To know who sees him, God makes himself unseen.”

⭐ In “Unbroken,” Laura Hillenbrand returns to tell another story (after “Seabiscuit”) of someone who has been bloodied by adversity, but not broken by it.Louie Zamperini was one of the world’s hottest track stars, breaking record after record and running in the 1936 Olympics. Then WWII broke out, and he ended up as a bombardier on a B-24 assigned to the Pacific theater. After several harrowing missions, his plane went down over the ocean, and only he and two other crewmembers survived. They spent almost 50 days drifting slowly across the Pacific, living off what they could catch and fighting off sharks, before being captured by the Japanese. Louie and the one other surviving member of the crew then spent the next 2+ years undergoing brutal mistreatment in Japanese POW camps, before finally being freed at the end of the war–something that left Louie adrift and struggling to find his purpose in life, now that he no longer had either war or sports (the privation and abuse he received in the camps left him unable to run competitively) to sustain him.Hillenbrand is a skillful scene-setter and tension-builder, and the book, although meticulously researched (she even had someone come to her house and set up a Norden bombsight in her living room so she, although largely housebound at the time, could practice bombing Arizona, she says in the afterword), reads like a thrilling adventure tale. The raft trip across the Pacific is particularly harrowing, with the men forced to use their oars and sometimes their bare hands to fight off sharks on a daily basis. And the horrors of the POW camps are described in detail, making this not a read for the faint of heart.That being said, “Unbroken” does have a certain “Go Troops!” wholesomeness and ra-ra-America sentiment that will probably appeal to patriotic readers; more skeptical readers may find themselves asking questions. The US troops and US war effort are generally depicted with the halo of sanctity that seems to surround so much of the Allied side of the war these days. Since Hillenbrand is telling Louie’s story, that’s not surprising, and she does make a strong case for why the POWs were, at least initially, thrilled at the bombing of Japanese cities, including the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Still, it’s hard from a modern perspective (at least for me) not to be appalled at the destruction both the regular fire-bombing and the A-bomb unleashed on heavily populated urban areas, and to feel that, whatever war guilt Japan might have had, it was all redeemed the moment the A-bomb burst over Hiroshima.In the end, though, “Unbroken” is not so much a war story–although it’s that as well–as it is a story of one man’s triumph over adversity, including, at the end, his multi-year struggle with alcoholism brought on by the trauma he experienced in the war. It’s both understandable and ironic that Hillenbrand, who has been severely ill, including long periods of being housebound or bed-bound, for most of her life, should be drawn to these characters who do manage to recover from the severe trials they undergo. Very likely that fascination on her part adds to the liveliness she brings to her writing, and begs the question of what does it mean to be unbroken? A riveting read about a truly remarkable person, written by another remarkable person.

⭐ I finished this one a few days ago, but have put off writing a review. Part of me wants to rate this 5 stars because the story of everything Louis Zamperini went through deserves 5 stars. Unfortunately, I found myself really not enjoying the writer’s writing style on quite a few different parts throughout the book. Honestly, while it was a really good book, I think it could have been even better in the hands of another writer. (Example: I have no interest in sports whatsoever. However, The Boys In the Boat was one of my favorite books that I read last year. Author Daniel James Brown was able to take a subject I have no interest in and make it enthralling.) There were times when I felt the author was unnecessarily vulgar in her writing.The subject matter of the book was interesting and definitely won’t be leaving my mind for a long time to come. However, it won’t rank up there as one of my all time favorite nonfiction reads simply because there were times when I didn’t care for the writing itself. It’s definitely one worth reading, though, because they things that bothered me may not bother other readers. I do recommend checking out the Young Adult edition as well simply for the extra photos it offers. I do not recommend this for younger readers as much of the subject matter is quite brutal and horrific. I would say 4.5 stars, but I may round up as I see how the story follows me after finishing.*Spoilers Ahead*Anyway, back to the subject of the book. Louis “Louie” Zamperini definitely lived an interesting life. Raised in a very loving and supportive family, he was a wild child who was constantly into mischief that progressed into stealing as he got older. I think he was very lucky that his older brother, Pete, helped steer him towards running as a healthier outlet for his energy. He was a natural and, with training and hard work, he made it to the 1936 Olympics and would likely have medaled at the 1940 Olympics if war had not broken out.He ended up as a bombardier in the Air Corps. Unfortunately, the US government treated their soldiers as they have in many other wars in that they were easily dispensable. They gave them planes that were quite unsafe to fly and then filled them inadequately with supplies in the case of crashes. Many, many men died in training with never having even seen any combat. After Louie had been stationed for two months, several dozen men from his bomb group, 1/4 of his barracks had been killed and many of those were a result of plane crashes. Between 1943 and 1945, 400 AAF crews were lost en route to their theaters. Oftentimes, no one ever knew what happened to the planes or their crews. Unfortunately, Louie’s plane, sent out on a rescue mission, ended up being one of those planes that simply vanished (ie. crashed, but no one knew where).Louie and his pilot and friend, Phil, miraculously survived over 40 days on the ocean with little to no supplies. They managed to create something to catch rain water and subsisted on the few fish and birds they were able to catch. After enduring sharks, starvation, dehydration, the sun bearing down on them, and being shot at by enemy planes, they were taken as POWs by the Japanese.I don’t even know how to describe the treatment of POWs by the Japanese. It was beyond horrific. I can’t even grasp how one is able to do those types of things to a fellow human being even in the atmosphere of war. Sadly, Louie was singled out by one particularly horrible monster nicknamed “The Bird.” He made Louie’s life hell on earth. I found myself often cringing and horrified by what the POWs were subjected to. Thirty-seven percent of Allied POWs died in Japanese camps versus one percent in Nazi camps and we all know how awful the Nazis were.The devastation Louie and Phil’s families felt when they found out they were missing was so horrible. I can’t even imagine what they went through. I honestly sobbed through the entire chapter talking about their families when they found out and everything they went through not knowing, but still believing that they were still alive. They never gave up on them.Even after the end of the war and the POWs were rescued, the Pacific POWs suffered through PTSD and the things they endured often followed them their whole lives. It was no wonder that so many of them had a hard time coping and some turned to alcohol or suicide as their only way out. It was interesting following Louie’s life after the war and seeing him finally triumph over his abusers even going so far as to forgive them. (I don’t think I could be that strong.)I was personally disgusted that the American government treated the Japanese war criminals in much the same way they did the Nazi war criminals in the 1950s. Many of the Japanese war criminals were tried and executed or imprisoned after the war, but the American government chose to take a “forgive and forget” style when it came to the atrocities committed against the POWs with the Cold War approaching. They decided to release many who had been preciviously convicted and halted the trials of many more. Unfortunately, this meant “The Bird” was never tried even though he ranked up there was one of the most terrible men in the war in the Pacific.I’m glad that Louie found happiness in the end after all he endured. It’s sad that so many others didn’t. The camp he set up in the wilderness to helped troubled youth sounded like a great program.

⭐ 20 some years ago, i was a student at Waseda University, the school where the animal Watanabe was educated. At the time, I was of the opinion that the bombing of Nagasaki and Hiroshima was unjustified. In fact, the school took us on a field trip to Nagasaki’s nuclear bomb museum, and one of my European classmates had been so distraught and ran out of the museum, screaming “thank god i’m not American!”After reading this book however, I have to say, the bombing is justified. In fact, if i ever go back to Nagasaki, I’d bring a thousand of this book, and put in the entrance of that museum!

⭐ Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Resistance is by Laura Hillenbrand. This book is the story of POWs in Japan and about Louis Zamperani, an Olympic athlete and hero of World War II.Louis Zamperini was born to Albert and Louise Zamperini, Italian immigrants, in Olean, New York on August 26, 1917. Second child and second son. From time he could walk, he was constantly moving and in trouble. Family moved to California when he was two. He ran from one end of train to the other, his Mother was very worried and told him someone would fall off train if he wasn’t careful. To her chagrin, he did run off the end of the train. Then, he calmly walked along tracks until train returned for him. Told his Mother, he knew she would come back for him. He was a clever, resourceful, bold child and always optimistic.Louie idolized his older brother Pete, twenty months older. Pete was the “golden child”. He seemed to always do what was right, was respectful and courteous, and never in trouble, or so it seemed. Many times, he could be seen with Louis when he performed his pranks. He helped Pete look out for their sisters, Sylvia and Virginia.Louis got in major trouble in California. He took to stealing, just to get away with it. He gave away everything he stole. He always got away by running. He came face-to-face with the eugenics process of sterilizing those who were different or criminals (stealing was included) when a kid from his neighborhood was said to be “feebleminded, institutionalized, and faced sterilization”. Luckily the boy’s parents were able to keep this from happening. This incident scared Louie straight, or at least he tried.When he found a key to the gym, he sold “tickets” at a reduced price to get kids into the basketball games. When caught, the principal punished him by excluding him from sports the first year he was in high school. Pete talked to the principal and finally got him to allow Louie to play sports. This turned out to be good for Louie, he won 10 varsity letters in basketball, 3 in Baseball, and 4 in track as well as setting school records. After high school, he joined Pete at UCLA.Pete had coached him in high school in track and continued to do so in college. Louis just got faster. In one meet, he beat the other racers by ¼ mile. He began to look towards running in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. He had to run in four races to qualify for the Olympics. In two races, he did quite well, in the third, he didn’t do as well, and he barely made it in the fourth race due to a tie; but he was on his way to the Olympics. Although he didn’t win a medal in the Olympics, he did set a record for running the last lap in 56 seconds.When he returned to UCLA, he began training for the 1940 Olympics where it would be more than possible to win the Gold. However, the Olympics were to be held in Japan and Japan released them to Finland. Then, the Olympics were cancelled for 1940 due to WWII.He signed up on September 29, 1941 with the Army. They sent him to Houston where they were to train him to be a bombardier. Eventually, he was assigned to a crew which would stay together for a long time and they would become best friends. Finally, he and part of his crew were sent on a rescue mission in an old plane, the Green Hornet. The plane was not in ideal condition; but it was a rescue mission. The plane was destined to crash in the ocean and of the crew, only three were to survive the crash, the pilot Phil, Mac, and Louie. Phil and Louie had flown together from the beginning. Only Phil and Louie were to survive being adrift for 47 or 48 days before being rescued by the Japanese.Hillenberg goes on to describe in great detail Louie’s and Phil’s treatment by the Japanese during their capture and their time in the POW camps. For over two years, they languished in the camps, separated from each other. Their families were the only ones who believed they were still alive even though they never appeared on a POW list nor were allowed to write their families. Eventually, Phil did appear on a list and was able to write his family; but this was close to the end of the war. Louie was not. He had been picked out as a special whipping boy for one guard called “Bird”. Bird went out of his way to cruelly beat and pick on Louie as they went from camp to camp. She describes the POWs watching the bombing of Tokyo from their camp and the ordeal they lived even after liberation while waiting on the army to reach them. She goes on to describe Louie’s life after returning to the US and his family. She shows his problems as he attempts to return to civilian life and dealing with PSTD and his nightmares about Bird.This book was eventually made into a movie and a version of it designed for children is also in print. The book is well-researched and documented. It is one which should be read by anyone reading about World War II.

Keywords

Free Download Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption in Epub format
Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption Epub Free Download
Download Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption 2014 Epub Free
Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption 2014 Epub Free Download
Download Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption Epub
Free Download Ebook Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption