UNBROKEN; LAURA HILLENBRAND

An amazing story of survival, of not giving up, and reads like myth, a fairy tale, not reality.  The biography tells the story of Louie Zamperini, the incorrigible son of Italian immigrants, growing up in Torrance, CA, in the 1920's.  Louie, from the start, listens to know one, breaks rules, defies his parents, siblings, does his own thing, often getting in trouble. He's on his way to becoming a juvenile delinquent when he discovers his gift for running.   In a two to three year period, he goes from a nobody to the best high school miler in California if not the US.  This success and the all the attention turn his life around, as he wins a scholarship to USC, trains for the Olympics, wins in a place in the 5000 meter run, goes to
Berlin, finishes 7th in an amazing finish, and meets Hitler in the stands.  Unfortunately, WWII intervenes, the story begins, as he becomes a bombardier, flies many missions over the Pacific, gets shot down, spends a month adrift on a raft, barely surviving, when he and two buddies are picked up by a Japanese boat. Here the story really begins as we witness the horrific treatment of Louie and his fellow POW's in various prisoner of war camps.  To five you an idea of these camps, in Germany 1% of the POW's died; in Japan, 30%, as they disdained Caucasians, thinking they(the Japanese) were the superior race.  I have to admit I could not wait to finish this part of the book, perhaps over half it, as it was excruciating to read the sadism, violence, hatred of the guards towards the prisoners, Louie especially since he was a famous runner.  He eventually survives, returns to the States a hero, but then falls prey, as expected, to Post Traumatic Stress, unknown back then. It's thought that at least 30% of the POW's from Japan committed suicide.  Louie was well on his way, turning to alcohol, abandoning his wife, becoming violent, still controlled by his hatred for the one guard who traumatized him, the Bird, when his wife finally convinces him to hear Billy Graham.  Like a miracle, Louie returns from one of Graham's talks, has an epiphany of sorts, throws out all the alcohol, returns to him wife and family, and never has any more nightmares about the war.  Hard to believe but true, I guess.  He ends up living a productive life, admired by many, and works with young boys like him who are potentially dangers to society.  A small part of the book is given to the last 50 years of his life, but it is an amazing story, and for someone to live as long as he is, he's 94 now, is a miracle, considering all the stress his body endured in Japan.  I did not love this book but read it because I did not think I should put it down unfinished.  It would be a disservice to Louie and the rest of the men who fought in WWII.

Some facts stood out, shocking me.  In WW II 35,933 Air Force planes were lost in combat and accidents.  The surprise of the attrition rate is that only a fraction of the ill-fated planes were lost in combat, most in training.    In Louie's Pacific area, for every one plane lost in combat, six were lost in accidents.  Combat losses never overtook noncombat losses.  In the air corps 35,946 personnel died in non combat situations, the vast majority accidental crashes.  In a report issues by the Air Force, between November 1st, 1943 and May 25, 1945, 70% of men listed as killed in action died in operational aircraft accidents, not as a result of enemy action.  The courage it took to go up in these air craft day after day, week after week, knowing the chance of your coming back alive was slim, boggles the mind of someone like me who worries about silly things like whether my lawn's coming in soon.  These pilots and the men in UNBROKEN certainly were 'the greatest generation.'