Book 12: Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand

I decided to read Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand after seeing many of my students carrying it around last spring. I didn't realize that there was already an adult version of this book, but the young adult version is in depth enough that I don't feel as if I missed anything major!

The book itself is a biographical account of former olympian and World War II survivor, Louis Zamperini. His harrowing ordeal of being lost at sea and then captured by the Japanese is a tale of strength and faith. After just a few chapters, I was completely hooked.  I wanted to know more about what happened to Louis Zamperini and how he was able to come out alive on the other end.

Laura Hillenbrand does a fantastic job of weaving his story with photos and tokens of his and his fellow soldiers' lives. Her way of writing out his survival story is vivid and descriptive, sucking you into that world as you read. It is beyond obvious that she did her research before sitting down to write this book. There were moments that I had to stop reading, because the material being described was that impactful. The time he spends in the POW camp will make you pause, and the images are descriptive.

Ultimately, this book is extremely captivating. I kept connecting with the story and I cared for him and what he went through. It represents such a terrible time that our country, and our soldiers, went through that this book is a must-read.