- Title in the original language: Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption
- Author: Laura Gillenbrand
- Genre: non-fiction
Annotation
The book tells a story that happened during the Second World War. In 1943, a plane crashed in the Pacific Ocean. The three crew members miraculously survived, but they could not imagine what they would have to go through next. This was only the beginning of an incredible odyssey in the history of mankind. People had to spend a record 47 days in extremely difficult extreme conditions and fight for their lives. 47 days on life rafts, with no food or drinking water, surviving a Japanese bomber attack, fighting sharks, and still maintaining their self-esteem and clear minds. But they endured it all and survived.
One of the surviving heroes was Luis Zamperini. He was a legendary athlete of the 1930s, fastest person the world saw him as the athlete who would finally manage to run a mile in under four minutes. Louis was a medallist at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin and the youngest member of the American Olympic team. One of his records in running he held on for almost 20 years. But most importantly, his life was full of unpredictable twists and turns, ups and downs, and victories. In particular, what is this amazing story of resilience, courage and strength of spirit described in the book! It reveals a little-known side of the Second World War - the fierce confrontation between the United States and Japan. The book was made into a film in 2014.
Key quotes:
One moment of pain is worth a lifetime of glory
The paradox of vengefulness is that it makes a person dependent on those who have hurt them
From his earliest childhood, he swept away any obstacle to his freedom. Every rule that was set for him and every unfulfilled desire were unambiguous invitations to disobedience
There were two people inside me," he continued, "one person who followed orders and the other who was more humane. Sometimes I felt I had a good heart, but Japan had an evil heart at the time. In peacetime, I would never have done such things
