About.com Rating

• Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand was published in November 2010.
• Publisher: Random House
• 496 Pages
• The movie adaptation of Unbroken will be released in December 2014.

I am coming to Unbroken late, finally convinced to pick it up by the upcoming release of the movie adaptation of the book. Since the initial release of Unbroken in 2010, friends have recommended it to me and I've seen it get glowing reviews and top bestsellers lists.

I started it once, though, and stopped because the beginning was too slow. I knew if I stuck it out, I would probably find out why so many people love it, but it is hard to work past 50 pages when you have a stack of other amazing books waiting to be read. So here is my warning: the first 50 pages are slow. They are not horrible, but they are not remarkable either. It is necessary background. The second 50 pages are more interesting, but still the sort of thing you can easily put down after reading a chapter. After page 100, it is a real life page turner. Louie Zamparini's story is so amazing and the history so fascinating that even I, who was lukewarm for 100 pages, have told several people "you have to read this book" since finishing it.

Unbroken is the true story of Louie Zamparini, a childhood misfit who too up running as a teen and became an Olympic runner within a few years. Zamparini's running career was cut short by World War II. He enlisted and flew planes in the Pacific theater.

After a plane crash, Zamparini and two friends are stranded at sea in an extremely ill-equipped raft. The story of how he survived on the raft is amazing and one I did not want to stop reading. The preface provides a glimpse at the harrowing raft experience, setting the tone for the whole book by describing the day the men were simultaneously attacked by a Japanese bomber and sharks. If this were fiction, I would say it were too far-fetched. It is, however, a true story.

During the raft section I could not fathom how the book could be less than halfway finished. I could not imagine how anything else nearly as interesting could happen. The second half of the book, though, is equally as engaging. It describes Zamparini's time as a Prisoner of War in Japanese camps. Not only is Zamparini's story interesting, but the history surrounding it is something I (sadly) knew very little about. As I read Unbroken, I realized how much more knowledge I have about the European War during World War II than the Pacific theater. As I have discussed the book with others, they have admitted the same thing. Unbroken, then, provides a piece of historical education that many of us need.

The end section, which looks at Zamparini's life after the war, is short, but important. I am so glad Hillenbrand details the reentry struggles he faced and how he moved from vengeance to forgiveness.

Overall, I would say this narrative nonfiction is as riveting as a novel at many points. I highly recommend the book. If, like me, you find the first section slow, here's a trick: try the audiobook. I listened to much of the first section while doing chores, and found it easier to get through. Then, when I wanted to read faster than the audiobook, I switched to a hard copy. Either way, pick up the book before seeing the movie. The details here are too fascinating to take only in condensed form.