Unbroken: Book Review

Synopsis of Unbroken

Disease. Beatings. The Bird. This had been the life of Louis Zamperini, POW, for years now.

But not anymore. Louis, former Olympian, was home once more in Torrance, California. He would try to forget the life he lived during World War II.

In no time, he was married to a beautiful woman, and they had a baby.

But something was wrong. Something was very wrong. Louis was now drinking his life away, swearing to get revenge on the Bird.

Who was the Bird? Mutsuhiru Watanabe.

Zamperini joined the air force just before the war started. When World War II hit, he was stationed in Hawaii. One day, Louis and his team were sent to look for a downed plane.

They never returned to the base. Only three of the men survived the plane crash, and they were stuck on a raft for many days. They lived on raw fish, birds, and shark liver. Only two of the soldiers made it through this ordeal.

Finally, they were picked up by an enemy boat. Moving through several concentration camps, Zamperini finally met his cruelest foe – the Bird.

The Bird hated Louis, for he saw the firmness in Zamperini’s eyes. Countless times, Watanabe beat Louis to an inch of his life. He held back rations from Louis and singled him out for cruel sport.

Zamperini couldn’t forget this no matter how hard he tried. He saw the Bird everywhere. Down the street. In his dreams.

He tried to drown everything out by drinking. Slowly, he drove himself mad by planning tactics of revenge on the Bird.

Eventually, his wife couldn’t take it anymore. Cynthia threatened to leave him but changed her mind after attending a Billy Graham revival. She then invited him to the camp meeting, for she knew only accepting Jesus into his heart could redeem her husband.

Lessons from Unbroken

I don’t like to read a book, mumble, “That was nice,” put it back on the shelf, then forget all about it. I don’t think that’s why authors write stories. (At least, I know that’s not why I write books.) Inspirational writers want us to look at the details and the theme of their novel and get out of it what we can.

This is what I like to do with books. I don’t want to go through my shelf and say, “Oh! That was a good book. That one was good too. You have to read this one.” Why were the books great? Because of the story or the underlying theme?

Let me tell you, Unbroken was a terrific read. I don’t think I’ve ever read a historical book that will stick with me this long. What did it teach me? Why will I remember it forever?

It taught me that no one is beyond redemption. I will always remember this because it gave me hope.

I’m sure we meet people in our lives who we believe are beyond redemption. We think they’re a lost cause. Well, guess what? They are not!

Through Unbroken, I learned that a man who has reached what seems to be the endpoint of depravity can be redeemed through the blood of Jesus Christ. What a fantastic theme!

One other lesson from the book was on forgiveness. When Louis was redeemed, an overwhelming sense of forgiveness filled his heart to the full. Louis no longer felt any anger for those who had been so cruel to him. Instead, he felt a great love for them – even the Bird no longer filled his dreams and thoughts.

Quotes

“The paradox of vengefulness is that it makes men dependent upon those who have harmed them, believing that their release from pain will come only when their tormentors suffer.”

“A lifetime of glory is worth a moment of pain. Louie thought: Let go.”

“What God asks of men, said [Billy] Graham, is faith. His invisibility is the truest test of that faith. To know who sees him, God makes himself unseen.”

“When he thought of his history, what resonated with him now was not all that he had suffered, but the divine love that he believed had intervened to save him.”

“At that moment, something shifted sweetly inside him. It was forgiveness, beautiful and effortless and complete. For Louie Zamperini, the war was over.”

Recommendation

Would I recommend this book to you? Definitely! Since it is a beautiful story of spiritual healing, I think every person should read this book at one point or another.

But I will also have to warn you about some things before picking up the book and settling down in a comfy corner. There’s a reason why Mom didn’t let me read the book until I turned 17. Here’s why:

1. Violent material. There is a lot of this in this book, and many times, it is given in graphic detail. War is not a pretty thing, and we get a glimpse of that truth in this story.

2. Sexual content. Though the author does not go into graphic detail, she is honest. Many of the Japanese officers’ actions are sick and twisted. Besides this, there are a few other minor elements, but once again, the author does not go into detail – she is just honest.

3. Language. Though I think it could have been avoided, the rough and coarse language used by Zamperini (before he became a Christian) and other soldiers were not omitted.

The Movie

There were two movies made off this book. Unbroken: Path to Redemption is one of my favorite Christian films and follows the book quite closely. However, it does differ in some areas. Since it was done by Christians, there is no language. If you’re interested, take a look at it! (It brought me to tears several times, and few movies do that for me.)

Conclusion

Louis bent under the weight of the plank. About to fall, he glanced up into the Bird’s cruel face.

A new strength filled him whenever he saw that face. Straightening up, Louis thought, “I will not let him break me.”

And he didn’t. Louis, plagued by beriberi and so skinny you could see his bones, held that plank above his head like the cruel Japanese man commanded. Angered by Zamperini’s strong will, the Bird came and knocked him over.

But before Louis came to God, he was broken.

When Zamperini attended the Billy Graham revival, he was a crazed drunk with grand delusions of flying to Japan and killing the Bird.

All that changed the night Zamperini was redeemed.

The night Louis Zamperini accepted Jesus Christ as his Savior, forgiveness took the place of revenge, and love replaced anger.