Unbroken Review

Title: Unbroken
Author:Laura Hillenbrand
Genre:  Non-fiction, History
Publisher: Random House 

Blurb: (from goodreads) On a May afternoon in 1943, an Army Air Forces bomber crashed into the Pacific Ocean and disappeared, leaving only a spray of debris and a slick of oil, gasoline, and blood. Then, on the ocean surface, a face appeared. It was that of a young lieutenant, the plane’s bombardier, who was struggling to a life raft and pulling himself aboard. So began one of the most extraordinary odysseys of the Second World War.

The lieutenant’s name was Louis Zamperini. In boyhood, he’d been a cunning and incorrigible delinquent, breaking into houses, brawling, and fleeing his home to ride the rails. As a teenager, he had channeled his defiance into running, discovering a prodigious talent that had carried him to the Berlin Olympics and within sight of the four-minute mile. But when war had come, the athlete had become an airman, embarking on a journey that led to his doomed flight, a tiny raft, and a drift into the unknown.

Ahead of Zamperini lay thousands of miles of open ocean, leaping sharks, a foundering raft, 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.

In her long-awaited new book, Laura Hillenbrand writes with the same rich and vivid narrative voice she displayed in Seabiscuit. Telling an unforgettable story of a man’s journey into extremity, Unbroken is a testament to the resilience of the human mind, body, and spirit.

Me: As a person who is a World War II fanatic, this book was fascinating and entrancing.

The Ups: First of all, if you are going to read one non-fiction book in your entire life, this is the one. If you have ever even thought about picking this book up and reading it, do it. It will be amazing, I promise you.

The amount of meat to this book is crazy. I am not kidding when I say I think there was a different fact in each sentence. Hillenbrand did extremely extensive research,  and it really paid off. So many things were described so vividly and there were a lot of parts where I  found myself saying, "How does she know that?" The facts themselves are extremely interesting and the way she writes the book incorporating them makes it that much better. 

It is haunting and unbelievable that this is a true story. There were many parts where I got so angry I wanted to throw the book  at the wall. But I had to keep reading. I got through this book surprisingly fast, because the plot is very hooking and keeps you going. I got so attached to the characters and am still trying to wrap my head around the fact that these are real people and their stories. 

I think that when a book really changes your life, it makes you rethink and discover things around you in everyday life that you hadn't noticed before. This is a very personal opinion, but this book made me rethink the death penalty. That is power. That is life-changing. After I finished this book I kinda just sat there thinking about how fortunate I was. 

The Downs: I really can't think of any. This was an extremely moving book. 

Overall: An unbelievable story of strength that was written beautifully. Read it. 

Rating: 5 kisses!

Has anyone seen the movie or read the book? What did you think?