R E K. (bigstone) - , reviewed on 11/21/2013 + 1438 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 1

My thanks to a friend who sent this wonderful read my way. This is first and foremost the story of Louis Zamperini, a troubled child who becomes a troubled adolescent rescued by none other than someone who loves him, his brother, Peter. Peter recognizes his brother's talent for running, usually away from trouble, and channels it into competition. It is as a runner that Louie finds himself winning many races and finally competes in an Olympics but WWII intervenes, changing his life forever.

With the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Louie finds himself a member of the Army Air Corps where he serves on many flights. His last results in an ocean crash landing with only his friend, Phil, the pilot, and another serviceman surviving. They drift alone on the Pacific for day upon day surrounded by swimming sharks and surviving on the few fish including sharks and seabirds that they manage to catch. The details outlined by the author are graphic and appalling and put the reader right into the small boat with them. When they are strafed several times by a Japanese bomber, they somehow survive without an injury.

Secondly, this is a story about imprisonment in Japanese camps where cruelty, little food and rigid schedules rule their lives. Once again the author excels in presenting detail after detail about existing as a prisoner of the Japanese. The depth of cruelty is difficult to believe as prisoners endure endless beatings, cruel punishments limited only the guards' imagination, lack of food, clothing and blankets. The author also shares postwar effects of such treatment on the returning soldiers as they return to their homes and try, often with limited success, to take up their lives. This is a must read for those interested in WWII, imprisonment in Japanese camps and how it all affects not only the returnees but their loved ones.

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