Unbroken

Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand, is an inspirational book about Louis Zamperini, an American soldier in World War II. The main setting of the book is in the Pacific Ocean. There are many different settings, but the most important one is the ocean, because that is where Louis is stranded for most of the book. At the beginning of the book it talks about Zamperini’s childhood and how he had always liked to run. As he got older, he decided to join the high school track team. He got a scholarship to college at USC where he became a star. When World War II started everyone was afraid of getting drafted, Zamperini on the other had enlisted into the Air Force. He was a second Lieutenant, when his plane crashed into the Pacific. This book has the main themes of courage and persistence. Louis Zamperini had a lot of courage to join the armed forces, and even more persistence to survive on the raft for that amount of time. To be that determined for that amount of time really got to me, because if I was in that position I don’t think that I could have lasted as long as he did. Courage on the other hand is even more important on his part. If he didn’t have courage, then he wouldn’t still be alive today.

I really liked unbroken, for the way that Hillenbrand was able to go back in time and flashback to the past and then come back to the present. I think that makes books more interesting because it gives you another perspective to the life of the character, and what they are thinking or doing. The way Hillenbrand was able to incorporate all of that detail is impressive, because without the detail the book would be dull and not as easy to read. The best part about this book is how Hillenbrand was able to tell the stories almost as if I was at the event, or on the raft. The different styles bring the story a whole new dimension of interest, because you can connect with Zamperini on different levels. The only thing that I didn't like is how Hillenbrand kept going back in forth to the past too much almost. I know that is how the events went but I feel that it got confusing at times.