Title: Unbroken

Author: Laura Hillenbrand

Publisher: Random House 2010

Genre: Nonfiction -- War Memoir

Pages: 473

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Women Authors; Library Loan; 52 Books 52 Weeks -- W19

How I Got It: Library Loan

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.

This month's book club selection was a heavy one. I've never been partial to war memoirs, but this one was very engaging. After the initially slow start, I was hooked into Louie's life. I knew there would be a relatively happy ending, but getting there tore my heart out. Hillenbrand definitely did her research. We get a beautifully crafted story piecing together a horrendous war experience. I'm sure we'll have an interesting discussion in a few weeks for this book. I am only hoping that our next selection isn't quite so serious.