Unbroken By Laura Hillenbrand's Unbroken

The book Unbroken written by Laura Hillenbrand is based on a true story of a soldier during World War II. The second world war took place during the years of 1939-1945. However, the war finally broke out in the Pacific after the Japanese attacked the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii in December 7, 1941. The war continued until the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1943 and by the end of the war millions of people have died. Many American soldiers like the book’s protagonist Louis Zamperini have been captured by the Japanese and been held captive. They have been beat, starved, and been placed in the brink of death, but those who still had hope made it through.
Louis Zamperini the son of Italian immigrants grew up in Torrance, California …show more content…
Though he didn’t win gold, he hit a personal record of 4:07.9, 1.2 seconds slower than the world record. With the war going on America had to draft men into the army, including Louis. Louis said goodbye to his career and joined the U.S. air corps. At the base, he met companions such as Phillips and Pillsbury. Together, alongside with other men, they were a team flying a B-24 Liberator named “Superman.” Despite the critical damage on the bomber after a mission, the men returned safely to the base. Sadly, Superman was unable to function through another flight so Zamperini and Phillips were assigned to another bomber called “Green Hornet” with other men. On a search trip, the Green Hornet’s engines failed and began to plunder into the Pacific Ocean. After the crash, only three men, Zamperini, Phillips, and Mac survived as they floated on two tiny rafts in a vast ocean. The men suffered through dehydration, starvation, and mental conflicts while being surrounded with sharks below and Japanese Zeros above. They lost a significant amount of weight, but Louis still kept hope. One night, Mac died and only Louis and Phillips remained desperate for rescue. The two floated on a single raft …show more content…
Louis during these 3 long years has gone through 47 days lost at sea, the painful living conditions in POW camps, and watching his companions and fellow captives die. In one of the camps, he has been spat on and punched by 220 other captives. He grew weak, scrawny, and injured from starvation, dehydration, and physical abuse. Louis could’ve died anytime, but he had hope. He wanted to be alive when the war ended and looked forward to the day when he could be reunited with his family again. Louis’ resilience kept him alive and gave hope for the