Book Report On Unbroken By Laura Hillenbrand

Unbroken

Unbroken is a biography written by Laura Hillenbrand.  It is about an Italian American, Louis Zamperini.  The book details Zamperini’s life, from childhood, to his time as an Olympic runner and then his experience as a lieutenant in the American Air Force's 372nd Bombardment squadron and the 307th bombardment group. Zamperini became a prisoner of war (POW) in Japan after his plane suffered engine failure and crashed in the Pacific Ocean.

While reading this book, there were plenty of times when I stopped and thought what would I have done in these situations, how would I act or react. To find yourself:
Crash-landing your plane into the sea and losing over half your crew;
trapped in a dinghy in the pacific for 47 days with only rain

water and whatever food you can find like dead birds or fish;
fending off sharks which are constantly circling and trying to leap onto your boat;
Only then your rescuers are your enemies the Japanese.

If you didn’t know that this story was true then you would believe it was fiction since it seemed so impossible that anyone could have survived the succession of challenges that he faced mentally and physically. I’ve wondered whether it was luck or his personality or if it was both?

Luck was not being shot and mortally wounded when his first plane “super Man” was attacked by Japanese pilots, the bullets missed Louis but hit some of his crew members. He helped by repairing the plane and tying 2 parachutes to the plane to slow it down on landing. (p.107)

When on his next mission with a different plane and crew mates plane crashed into the sea and he was trying to get free of his tangled life jacket, he passed out thinking “this is death” (p.126).

For some reason, he got lucky and woke up with the life jacket untangled. In his determination to survive and not drown, he managed to orientate himself that he knew how to make his way out of the aircraft and reach the surface. Luck in the form of rainfall gave them water for when they needed to survive, but him sucking water out of the raft and into the can meant they could capitalize on the rainfall and save water for dry days

(p.149)

It was his time as a prisoner of war to the Japanese where luck helped him but his extraordinary will to survive became evident.

The overall/ultimate luck was not being massacred by the guards at their camps which were ordered by the government. Luck would not have been enough to survive the torture and deprivation inflicted on Louie as a POW, largely at the hands of a psychopathic camp officer (Matsuhiro Watanabe, known to the prisoners as The Bird).  The Bird took an obsessive dislike to Louie right from the start of his arrival at Omori camp, regularly beating him, threatening to kill him if a sick goat died while under Louie’s protection:

“As the weeks passed, the Bird didn’t relent in his attacks on Louie, the corporal sprang upon him randomly, pounding his face and head.  Any resistance from Louie, even shielding his face, would inspire the Bird to more violence.”. (p. 251)

A scene near the end of Louie’s imprisonment shows just how strong his will to survive

was.

Starving and with severe dysentery Louie was ordered by the Bird to hold a huge beam above his head without letting it drop or he’d be hit by the guards.  As he felt himself starting to waver and almost lose consciousness he suddenly thought to himself as he stared down the Bird with a look of hate in his eyes: “He cannot break me.”  (p.303).  The Bird stopped laughing at him.

After being released and returning home Louie’s final battle was with himself.  The trauma of his time during the war turned him into an angry alcoholic, with sleepless nights and his marriage in trouble.   This was not an unusual experience for returning POWs
“their dignity has been obliterated, replaced with a pervasive sense of shame and worthlessness.” (p. 357).

Louie summoned his will for one final battle against the bird who still tortured his every thought. For Louie, he found god and it enabled him to free himself and not let his experience ruin the rest of his life which takes real strength.

Was his survival luck or his one personality or Both? I think Louie would have said that there was no luck and was part of what his god’s plan for him to learn from the experience of the suffering and to do good in the world.

He started a charity, helping troubled youth and died at a ripe old age as a family man and a great citizen.

I’m not so sure on the god/religious aspect but I do think things happen for a reason. We can choose how we look at the events/things that have happened to us. I admire the strength and will that Louie had to keep fighting throughout his battle for survival. Reading this book has influenced my thoughts about resilience and strength.