Unbroken (Laura Hillenbrand, 2010)

This book was a father's day gift from Nicole.

It is a remarkable story - yet another instance where if a novelist tried to sell a story like this, it would seem too farfetched to succeed.  I can scarcely believe that I've never heard a word about the subject of the biography - Louis Zamperini.

Some thoughts about Zamperini:

1. In early years:  basically a juvenile delinquent in Torrance, CA.
2. Older brother figured out that Louis could succeed as a track athlete.  As a high school graduate (!) - he competes in the 5000 meters at the Berlin Olympics.  And has an interaction with Hitler.
3. Several amazing missions in the South Pacific following Pearl Harbor - his crew, or at least most of it, survives.
4. But his crew next ends up taking an undesirable plane - the B-24 Green Hornet - on a search and rescue mission.  It crashes.  Louis and two others are on a raft for weeks.  Fighting off sharks.  Learning how to catch birds and fish.
5. Experiences in various prison camps - particularly when the "Bird" identifies Louis as a high-profile target and regularly abuses him.  In camps in mainland Japan when B-29 incendiary bombing starts, and when the atomic bomb is dropped.
6. Challenges - severe - in returning to civilian life.  Ultimately figures it out.  
7. And how cool:  he runs a segment of the torch run for the 1998 Olympics at age 81 - in Nagano, Japan.

The author did a great job - made the difficulties for the soldiers, prisoners and families come to life.