"Unbroken" by Laura Hillenbrand

As you can see by my book lists on the right-hand side, I love to read. As a child, I never had to be forced to sit down and read a book, it's usually what I was doing anyway - Nancy Drew, Encyclopedia Brown, Little House on the Prairie, Ramona, etc...loved them all. I think the only time I took a small 'break' from serious pleasure reading, was in college when I was so busy reading for classes that I didn't have much time for 'fun' reading. I like to read different genres but I've definitely started enjoying more non-fiction books in the recent years.

I just recently finished reading "Unbroken" by Laura Hillenbrand and I can't say enough good things about it. I gave it 5 out of 5 stars on Goodreads and if I could have given it a higher rating, I would have!

Here is a brief summary of the book:

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.

Ahead of Zamperini lay thousands of miles of open ocean, leaping sharks, a foundering raft, thirst and starvation, enemy aircraft, and, beyond, a trial even greater. Driven to the limits of endurance, Zamperini would answer desperation with ingenuity; suffering with hope, resolve, and humor; brutality with rebellion. His fate, whether triumph or tragedy, would be suspended on the fraying wire of his will.

Hillenbrand is a great writer - she really catches your interest right from the start. But it's the story of Louis Zamperini that I found so amazing. I know this is only one of many, many WW II survivor stories out there, but Zamperini has an especially compelling story to share.

I've also purchased Louis Zamperini's autobiography, "Devil at My Heels" because I wanted to read his story from his perspective - it's now in my ever growing pile of 'to-read' books...

Anyway, Louis Zamperini has an AMAZING story to share and I highly recommend "Unbroken"!

P.S. - I'm always looking for book recommends from others, so if you have any, please feel free to share!! :)