Unbroken- Lauren Hillenbrand

This book deprived me of sleep for 5 days, as it just made me keep on reading despite the late hours. The Times' review said "A book with pages that almost turn themselves" and I couldn't agree more with the reviewer. The fact that a memoir could be such an exciting page turner is a miracle in itself. From a young rebel, Louis Zamperini transformed himself into an Olympic runner because of the faith his brother, Pete, had in him. I am extremely envious of the tight-knittedness of the Zamperini family, that they helped each other grow and truly loved and cared for each other. Louis' Olympic career was cut short when World War II began and he was conscripted into the US Air Force as a bombardier and fought in the Pacific war. Alas, during a rescue mission, the plane he was flying in, crashed into the Pacific Ocean. Together with two other crew members, the trio drifted for over 40 days (one of them eventually died) before being captured by the Japanese army. I don't know what is worse, drifting out at sea or being held captive. I would think it is the latter as the prison officers took away not just the POW's physical health but their dignity as well. For someone like me with zero survival skills, I probably wouldn't survive in either situation. Zamperini's life got worse when he was moved to a camp that was governed by a soldier nicknamed the "bird"- a psychopath. For some unknown reason, he picked on Louie and tortured him almost every single day. I do not know how he could possibly endured such cruelty. But I think what struck me most was Louis' compassion for his fellow POWs. He would snuck food or medication for those whose health was in dire state. 

For years, Louie and the rest of the POWs were deprived of food and medical attention, endured beatings and cold winters and yet that desire to live, never left them. It amazes me how this is in contrast to our current times. For the slightest "mishap" in life, we grow depressed and some, contemplate suicide. One recurring theme I found in this book and another similar book by Victor Frankl was that once someone loses that will to live, they start detriorating physically and we have to remind ourselves that the mind is indeed a powerful thing that can determine whether we love or die. 

I think what draws people to these stories is that it tells us and reminds us of the beauty of the strength of the human spirit. 

Another aspect that I love about the book was the presence of God in Louis' life. He had the opportunity to encounter God in such a personal and life-transforming way. How Louis survived after being entangled in the wires of the crashed plane was a mystery in itself. He passed out underwater but was strangely revived and found himself out of the entanglement. While drifting for days, he saw a choir of angels sing to him. During a storm over the ocean, he made God a promise that he would dedicate his entire life to Him if he survived this. He survived through the storm and also the horrors of the POW camps. But humans, as we know, have poor memory. Louis forgot his promise to God and returning home from the war, he suffered from PTSD and most of all, a deep sense of anguish and hatred. He wanted to kill the Bird. He began drinking himself into oblivion and almost strangled his own wife. His wife wanted to leave him but after attending Billy Graham's sermon, had a change of heart and dragged Louis along. Louis felt something but ego and pride were in the way. When he was dragged a second time to the sermon, he remembered his promise to God and knew then that he needed to let go of his hatred and forgive his captors. Once he decided that was something he had to do, he was free from the evil clutches of alcoholism. His life changed for the better and he kept his promise to God to serve him. He went back to Japan to visit his captors and told them he forgave them. He tried to meet with the bird but was rejected by him. It appalled me that the bird wasn't the least remorseful for all the things he had done and justified his actions by saying he was serving the empire. It amazes me how people could delude themselves into believing that their evil deeds are for the greater good. Of course I was disappointed that most of the war criminals were Scot-free or given light sentences, which made Louis forgiveness even more incredible. It reminds me that oftentimes, we are the ones who imprison ourselves by holding on to hatred and the unwillingness to forgive. When we are unwilling to forgive, the only people who lose are ourselves. 2-7 April 2016