"Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption" by Laura Hillenbrand

"Unbroken"

It's been a long time since I've read a biography. I had several friends suggest that I read Unbroken. The book is about Louis Zamperini, an Olympic athlete, who was drafted in World War II. His plane was shot down over the Pacific and, after surviving 47 days on a raft at sea, he and the pilot were sent to POW camps in Japan. For almost 2 1/2 years, he survived countless acts of physical and mental abuse.

I was a little surprised at how well I liked this book. I think I've stayed away from biographies a lot mostly because I thought they would be full of tedious boring stuff. Haha. Boy was I wrong. I LOVE learning things about other people's lives and this was right up my alley. I devoured it! It disturbs me to think of the atrocities that one human being can inflict on another just because he thinks he can or should have the power to do so. What amazes me more, however, is the power and strength that the human mind, body and spirit are capable of. Things that you would think would be impossible to endure... It truly is amazing. I also loved that he was able to find God and forgiveness a few years after he came back. This book left me feeling very inspired and grateful for the examples we have in those who are able to forgive and let go.