Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand

“Louie found himself thinking of the moment at which he had woken in the sinking hull of Green Hornet, the wires that had trapped him a moment earlier now, inexplicably, gone. And he remembered the Japanese bomber swooping over the rafts, riddling them with bullets, and yet not a single bullet had struck him, Phil, or Mac. He had fallen into unbearably cruel worlds, and yet he had borne them. When he turned these memories in his mind, the only explanation he could find was one in which the impossible was possible.  What God asks of men, said Graham, is faith. His invisibility is the truest test of that faith. To know who sees him, God makes himself unseen.” ― Laura Hillenbrand, Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption

Nine Ladies of Walden Pond met Thursday, May 23 at Carolyn's home to discuss Unbroken, by Laura Hillenbrand. The book is about Louis Zamperini, an Olympic runner who was destined to become the first man to run a four-minute mile, but instead ended up in the Pacific Theater during World War II.  After their plane goes down in the Pacific, Zamperini, Phil and Mac float in life rafts for 47 days, fighting sharks and starvation only to become Prisoners of War in Japan, where a totally different nightmare of brutality and starvation begins. It is powerfully written, compelling and a tribute to the human spirit and the power of redemption and forgiveness.

There was much discussion about the book and the different things that were poignant to those who read it.  Many were touched by the resiliency of the human spirit. 

“Dignity is as essential to human life as water, food, and oxygen. The stubborn retention of it, even in the face of extreme physical hardship, can hold a man's soul in his body long past the point at which the body should have surrendered it.” 
― Laura Hillenbrand, Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption

Others were impressed by the faith and ongoing hope that his family showed: his mother's  constant prayers and her stubborn insistance that he still lived,  his brother's positive and continual support through the rough times. As well as the importance of our relationships and how important those relationships are as we go through life together.  

Some were touched by all the trials that men and women in the armed forces had to endure and the difficulties that all families face during war time.
“His conviction that everything happened for a reason, and would come to good, gave him laughing equanimity even in hard times.” 
― Laura Hillenbrand, Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption

Another important facet of the story is the power of the Savior's atonement, mercy and forgiveness and the enabling grace that He provides to lift and help us change and to forgive those who have done us so much harm. “Such beauty…was too perfect to have come by mere chance. That day in the center of the Pacific was…a gift crafted deliberately, compassionately, for him and Phil” .

“His conviction that everything happened for a reason, and would come to good, gave him laughing equanimity even in hard times.” 
― Laura Hillenbrand, Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption

Ann gave us some insight into the author, Laura Hillenbrand was born in Virginia in 1967 and she grew up riding horses at her father's farm in Maryland.  Laura went to Kenyon College in Ohio,but was forced to leave her studies due to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.  She rarely leaves her home, but has done amazing research and writes beautiful, compelling books. This book is highly recommended reading! And I appreciate her dedication below:

“Finally, I wish to remember the millions of Allied servicemen and prisoners of war who lived the story of the Second World War. Many of these men never came home; many others returned bearing emotional and physical scars that would stay with them for the rest of their lives. I come away from this book with the deepest appreciation for what these men endured, and what they scarified, for the good of humanity. It is to them that this book {Unbroken} is dedicated,” 
― Laura Hillenbrand, Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption

This was an amazing, highly recommended read!