Top 30 Modern Classics - XI

Unbroken

Laura Hillenbrand

Many books are published on World war II. I have picked this book because this a story of "survival, resilience and redemption".

Unbroken is a non-fiction book by Laura Hillenbrand published in 2010.

It is a story on Louis Zamperini, a former Olympic track star who survived a plane crash in World War II. He and two others, out of a crew of 11, survived and spent 47 days drifting on a raft. They traveled more than 2000 miles on the fragile raft to be ultimately captured by the Japanese. They survived brutal torture in a series of Japanese prison camps for more than two and a half years.

Zamperini  was a juvenile delinquent who was adept at breaking into homes. He developed into a world-class runner. He ran the 5,000 meters at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. As war approached he enlisted in the Army Air Corps. Stationed in Hawaii, he was the bombardier on a rickety B-24 called the Green Hornet when it went down over the Pacific.

Quickly facing starvation, the men survived on albatrosses and fish and storm water. Sharks followed and stalked them. One of the survivor died on the 33rd day.On their 33rd day at sea McNamara died. On the 46th day they spotted land and next day they were captured by the Japanese sailors. 

As a former Olympian, he was a valuable propaganda tool, too precious to kill. But his celebrity also made him very tempting to torture. He was subjected to an merciless assaults.

As the war tilted in favor of Allies, the Japanese vowed to kill all prisoners. However the prisoners wer saved by bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Zamperini had a difficult return to normal life, troubled by alcoholism, flashbacks, nightmares and rage. He, finally, found peace in 1949, after he was converted to the Christ by Billy Graham.

I rate this book as a classic because of the mindset of Zamperini. Here is a perfect example of a man's triumph over adversity by sheer grit.

You will love this book

Namaste

Prabir