'Unbroken' -book review by Kathy Nitz

Unbroken:  A WWII Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption

Laura Hillenbrand

This is an inspring, true story of Louis Zamperini’s fight for survival during WWII.  Hillenbrand takes us through Zamperini’s defiant boyhood, his adolescent and young adults years as a runner, training and competing in the Olympics, his time in WWII as an airman, the brutality he endured as a prisoner of war under the Japanese, and his return home battling the demons from his past. The book is well researched and documented and told from the narration of a journalist. Our group thought Hillenbrand chose this style, as it may reflect the emotional detachment that was necessary for Zamperini to cope and survive with the horrors of his past. One of the mostvivid parts of the book is Zamperini’s journey of survival in the Pacific after his plane crashes. Zamperini’s sufferings as a POW under the Bird are some of the most brutal scenes in the book.  While some in our group felt that this would not have been a book that they would have chosen on their own, it was agreed that the book’s portrayal of one man’s suffering, hope, and resolve to survive was well worth the read.  Zamperini’s ability to forgive his tormenter and make peace with his years as a POW truly shows the power of the human spirit and how it can triumph over tragedy.

At Doreen's

From our meeting at Doreen's

Discussion Questions for: Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption

1. Did you like the book?  Would you add it to your permanent book collection?  What do you like or not like about this book?  The story is told from the standpoint of a narrator/ journalist. Why did the author choose this style to tell this story?

2. Laura Hillenbrand also wrote the book: Seabiscuit: An American Legend.  This book told a very different type of story.  Were you surprised at how different they are?  

3. When Louie was young he was famous for stealing things.  He mostly took things to eat. Do you think he was hungry or was he doing it for the fun of it?  He was well known and thought of as a nuisance by the local police.  Would a child like that in today’s society be in more or less trouble with the law?

4. The Notre Dame coach warned Louis that the other runners planned to hurt him during the race.  What could he have done to protect himself?  Do you think this is just “part of the game” in most sports?  

5. What was unique about the setting of the book and how did it enhance or take away from the story?  Do you think the Germans and the Italians treated WW II American POWs differently?  Do you think American POWs were treated any better or worse during Korea, Vietnam, the Civil War, Desert Storm, or any other Wars or military actions? 

6. Even after they were pronounced dead by the Army, the families held on to the belief that their loved ones were still alive.  What about the family members of the other men in the crew who went down with the plane; do you think they held to similar beliefs?

7. CiCi remained loyal to her man and when he returned they were married.  Many marriages took place shortly after the war. This led to the Baby boom generation.  Are you a boomer? Do similar surges in birth rates take place after every conflict? A lot of “Dear John” letters were written during WW II. Are such letters more common in more recent conflicts?

8. Do the characters seem real and believable?  Can you imagine yourself in their place?  How were the characters changed by the events in the story?

9. Louie turned his life around after attending a Billy Graham revival.  Do you know others who changed their life because of a religious experience?  At the same time Louie’s wife was planning on leaving him for good.  Which event do you think influenced his turn around the most?

10. Louie eventually went back to Japan and confronted his tormenter.  Would you have been able to forgive the way Louie did?  Is forgiveness a part of the religious experience Louie had at the revival?  

11. What were the parts of the book that made you feel uncomfortable? What were some of the ”feel good“ moments in this story?