My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Louis Zamprini was a handful of trouble and disaster, much to the dismay of everyone around him in the little town of Torrence, California during the Great Depression. However, he eventually fueled all the extreme energy into one exceptional talent, running. He would go on to become a gold medalist in the 1936 Berlin Olympics and the once hellion became a hero.
Afterwards, Louis had dreams of running in the 1940 Olympics, but war changed everything. By a series of mishaps (most of his own making), Louis finds himself in the Air Force. Flying made Louis sick, but overtime he grew to have a talent. Joined by a close crew of friends, Louis flew over Japanese islands, taking down the enemy for God and country.
In June of 1943, Louis' plane, The Green Hornet is shot down. Unable to find the plane or the men, the War Department declare the crew dead. However, Louis and two other survivors endure hunger, blistering hot days, frigid nights, mammoth sharks, and losing of mind for 46 days. Louis prays that if God would save him, he would serve him forever.
When Louis is saved by the Japanese and sent to a variety of POW camps, what he suffered on the Ocean was nothing to what he faced at the hands of his enemy. Tortured and starved daily, Louis and other allied POWs struggle to maintain sanity and dignity. However, one corporal, Mutsuhiro Watanabe "the Bird" used his powers of physical and emotional torture on the helpless men and Louis was his favorite target. Over and over again, Watanabe tortured Louis into submission and subjugation through humiliation, violence and fear.
Louis miraculously survives "the Bird," and the war and finally goes home. Yet, his remarkable survival makes him a celebrity in the eyes of the world. He once again becomes a hero. Louis marries a beautiful young woman and tries to start normal life. Yet, flashbacks to the war and Watanabe haunt Louis. His PTSD drives him to drinking and his life slowly comes apart. Unable to forget the war or forgive the man who beat his dignity and honor from him, Louis' only mission in life is to find and kill Watanabe.
When Louis is at his lowest and absolute extreme end, a message from a young preacher reminds Louis of his promise to God out on the Pacific Ocean. If you save me, I will serve you forever. Louis turns his life to God. The love and light of God fills Louis' life and allows him to finally fulfill his promise made so long ago. And Louis remained faithful to the promise until his dying day.
A deeply emotional story of a remarkable man who was shaped by suffering and pain, but by God's eternal redemption became a hero to everyone who knew him. Louis' story of survival at the hands of the Japanese is disturbing and probably doesn't even scratch the surface of what he truly endured. Unbroken pays tribute not only Louis Zamprini, but to all the men who served in WWII. For those who never returned home from war and those who returned home, but never left the war. There is hope to be found in learning of the life of Louis Zamprini.
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