February 29, 2012

"Unbroken" by Laura Hillenbrand

While most of us prefer to read fictional stories because non-fiction often lacks in suspense or stimulation altogether, the truth is that fact is sometimes stranger than fiction. Sometimes there are things that happen in this world that are beyond most people’s imagination.

As you can gather from the title of this entry, the story I am going to be talking about will be that of Louis Zamperini, a World War II soldier who fought for the United States.

Laura Hillenbrand’s Unbroken chronicles the life of Zamperini, or more specifically the torturous journey he underwent during his service in the air forces.

To put it in a nutshell, the story is that of Zamperini who as a boy discovered he had quite a talent for running. He was just about ready to compete in the Berlin Olympics when suddenly it was time to go to war.

Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
And so Louis become a pilot, which was the beginning of his ill-fated adventure. In 1943 Louis’ bomber crashed into the Pacific Ocean… nobody survived except for Louis Zamperini who somehow managed to drag himself up into a life raft.

In the middle of nowhere, behind enemy lines, without any food or resources and surrounded sharks as well as enemy aircraft, Zamperini started his journey back home. As the journey progresses, the conditions become more and more unbearable, driving Louis to his limits, eventually leading him to a trial greater than all those he ever had to overcome.

I’m afraid this is as much as I’m willing to tell you about Laura Hillenbrand’s Unbroken for fear of spoiling the story for you. Rest assured that while this is a biographical work its far from being emotionless and dry. On the contrary, this incredible story of survival is written almost as if it was a novel. Regardless of who you are or for how long you have lived, you can always learn something from a story such as that one.



Laura Hillenbrand (Author)

Laura Hillenbrand


Laura Hillenbrand is an author of American origin, writing books as well as occasional magazine articles. Her first book, Seabiscuit: An American Legend won her the William Hill Sports Book of the Year, and her second book, Unbroken, surely hasn’t failed to attract its fair share of followers.

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