Monday, August 18, 2014

Sweepea's Book Review: Unbroken

Being a huge fan of anything about WWII, I was intrigued to read the novel "Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption."  The book, written by Laura Hillenbrand, outlines the true story of Louis Zamperini and his extraordinary life from Olympic runner to POW to international hero.

To say this man's life is interesting is an understatement.  He basically should have died about 5 different times.  His suffering is remarkable, because he survived through it all.

As a boy, he was out of control, wreaking havoc throughout his neighborhood. As a teenager, his brother encouraged him to run, and in doing so, Lou discovered that focusing on his running diverted his energy from bad to good. When World War 2 hit, he joined the Army Air Forces.  It was here that his already amazing life took a dramatic turn in to adventure, danger, and survival.



This book leads you through the horrors of POW's; how men could endure such pain and torture is unimaginable.  And just when you think it's over, it's just beginning.  It's astonishing what we as human beings can survive, and what this man in particular had to go through to find his true self.

You can find the book on Amazon.  They're making the book in to a movie, directed by Angelina Jolie, due this upcoming Christmas Day.  I'm not a fan of hers, but since I loved this book so much I will still go see the film.  Make sure you read the book before you go see the movie.  I'm sure they'll cut a lot out just to fit it into a reasonable time.  You can see a preview of the movie at YouTube.

Sadly, the real Louis Zamperini just passed away this July 2nd, and didn't get to see the movie released officially in theaters.

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