Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Unbroken

Has anyone else read this book? Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand who also wrote Seabiscuit. It was seriously good. So, so good. It was a bit tough for me to read at times due to the graphic descriptions, but that's what brought the story to life. It's history. It's a true story. This stuff really happened. The story stirred up all of my emotions - sadness, anxiety, excitement, pride, sorrow, disgust, anger, awe, joy, frustration, love. The list could go on. The ending is what surprised me the most and was what made me love the book even more. I definitely recommend it and plan on reading it again one day.

Here's the book description from Amazon:

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.

If you're still trying to figure out a gift for your dad for Father's Day, this would be perfect. I bought a copy for both my dad and father-in-law.

Has anyone read Seabiscuit? Thoughts? I'm always looking for a good book to read, especially during the summer months when I have a little more time on my hands.

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