Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand

This is most definitely a five star read! 

Let me start off by saying I will never ever complain of having a bad day again! This man endured such terrible things and yet, maintained hope and faith through all of it. My worst day would easily be his best day times two. 

The book starts out revealing facts about Louis Zamperini's troubling childhood. He was quite the troublemaker and when I was reading it I wondered how this man ever made something of himself. I think this was a great way to show the reader that while this man was great, he was not perfect. 

As the story continues you see his true self begin to form through his love for running. It is amazing to me how fast he was and how easy it seemed to him. I grew a new respect for the sport of track. 

The meat of the story came when Louis entered the war. He flew huge planes and made an impact on the war as he fought in key battles which endangered his life but not his spirit. 

One day, Louis plane crashed. (I will not get into details because it will take away from the book!) Himself and two crew mates lasted for months out on sea in a raft before being captured by the Japanese. While I am sure the Japanese are a friendly people, during WWII they were not kind to the American POWs. 

Louis, who was starved and needed medical attention when they found him, found himself being beaten, starved even more, fighting disease, and fighting to maintain his spirit. 

His survival depended upon his spirit. They tried to literally beat it out of him but, he could not be beaten down. 

I'm sure his rescue was more exciting to him than what it was to me but even I felt like a celebratory wine was needed by the time I got to it. His health and his demeaner actually concerned me and I wasn't even sure he would live (despite knowing that he died in 2014). 

Laura Hillenbrand took Louis Zamperini's story and enthralled audiences in order to show how a spirit can not be broken. Keeping faith is key. I thought it was fabulous to read right at the beginning of the year when you need a boost of confidence to propel you to be a better person.