B8 HISTORYREVIEWBYGARYKRIST The trials of Louis Zamperini
UNBROKEN A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption By Laura Hillenbrand Random House. 473 pp. $27
“I
f I knew I had to go through those experiences again,” Louis Zamperini once said of his years as an Army bombardier in World War II, “I’d kill myself.” That’s a rash statement, but
after reading “Unbroken,” Laura Hillen- brand’spowerful newbook about Zamperini’s life, fewpeople are likely to doubt him. In the decades since the war’s end, publishers have churned out so many “epic tales of endurance” and “amazing sagas of survival” that a reviewer can be excused for approaching yet another one with a certain skepticism. But Zamperini’s story has a legitimate claim as one of the most remarkable — and appalling—to emerge from those perilous times. Sometimes the publisher’s press release doesn’t need to exaggerate. Not that there’s much in “Unbroken” that will
be unfamiliar to devotees of wartime narrative nonfiction. Readers of books like James Bradley’s “Flyboys,” Doug Stanton’s “In Harm’s Way” and Hampton Sides’s “Ghost Soldiers” will recognize many of Zamperini’s tribulations, from the har- rowing episodes of air combat over the Pacific to the long weeks battling sharks and hunger on a flimsy life raft to the mind-boggling brutalities of incarceration in a Japanese POW camp. Rarely, however, has a single man had to endure such an extraordinary array of woes. Hillenbrand, whose previous bookwas“Seabis-
cuit: An American Legend,” seems drawn to underdogs who must struggle against extreme adversity, and in Zamperini she has found an example even pluckier than the little racehorse that could. This time, moreover, she has a subject who can actually speak to her. Zamperini has published his own memoir—“Devil atMyHeels,” written with David Rensin (2003) — but he cooperated fully with Hillenbrand’s project, and much of “Unbroken” is based on extensive tele- phoneinterviewswithhimandthose close to him. This heavy reliance on personal reminiscence
does have drawbacks; Hillenbrand presents as fact a few too many stories that seem like family legend. (Did a neighbor really sew little Louie’s severed toe back on his foot?) Such improbable anecdotes, though, are largely confined to the book’s early pages. Judging by the ample end notes, Hillenbrand has tried hard to verify Zam- perini’s memories in the written historical record. The book’s early chapters unfold like a “Seabis-
cuit Redux,” asHillenbrand sketches the career of an undisciplined misfit who starts to find re- demption by learning to run very, very fast. After a childhood in Torrance, Calif., notable mostly for flagrant misbehavior (“Louie,” Hillenbrand writes, “couldn't bear to be corralled.”), Zamperini achieves early success as a high-school miler. Eventually, he qualifies for the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, and although he doesn’t win a medal, he performs well enough to attract the notice of Adolf Hitler himself. (“Ah,” the Führer remarks when they are introduced, “you're the boy with the fast finish.”) Zamperini’s troubles begin when war breaks
out and he joins the Army Air Forces. After surviving several furious engagements with Japa- nese forces, his plane goes down on a routine search mission, leaving Zamperini and two other airmen adriftonthePacific with littlemorethan a handful of chocolate bars. This ordeal proves
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9 UNBEARABLE LIGHTNESS: A STORY OF LOSS AND COURTESY OF LOUIS ZAMPERINI Louis Zamperini greets his family at Long Beach Airport after returning from the war.
difficult enough, as the men face thirst, exposure and the rigors of sensory deprivation for 47 days. But the real test comes when they are finally captured by the Japanese. Shuttled through a series of increasingly hellish POW camps, Zam- perini must endure two years of intense physical and psychological cruelty. One notoriously sadis- tic jailor — nicknamed “the Bird” — singles Zamperini out for special attention, subjecting him to a campaign of abuse so severe that its effects continue to plague him long after his liberation by American troops. As the title “Unbroken” suggests, however, the
book has an upbeat ending. I won’t reveal specif- ics here, but suffice it to say that Zamperini is still alive as of this writing, having spent much of his postwar life as an inspirational speaker. Now 93, he claims that he hasn't gotten angry about
LITERARY CALENDAR NOVEMBER 15-20, 2010
15MONDAY | 6:30 P.M.Wes Moore, author of the bestselling “The OtherWes Moore: One Name, Two Fates,” a chronicle of his own life (Rhodes Scholar,White House fellow, combat veteran) and that of anotherWes Moore from a similar background, now in prison for murder, will speak at George Washington University’s Lisner Auditorium, 730 21st St.NW. This event is the launch of a series tied to the multi- media exhibit “Facing History and Ourselves: Choosing to Participate,” on view at the Historical Society of Washington, D.C. (through June 17, 2011). A book signing follows; to RSVP, e-mail
lindsay_bowles@facing.org or visit
www.facinghistory.org.
16 TUESDAY | 10:30 A.M. Caldecott Medal-winning children’s author and illustrator DavidWiesner reads from and discusses his new picture book, “Art & Max,” at Politics and Prose Bookstore, 202-364-1919. A book signing follows. Noon. Kevin Dowd, a former policy economist, joins financial journalist Martin Hutchinson for a discussion of their new book, “Alchemists of Loss: How Modern Finance and Government Intervention Crashed the Financial System,” at the Cato Institute, 1000 Massachusetts Ave.NW. Call 202-789-5224 or e-mail
events@cato.org to RSVP. 17 WEDNESDAY | 7 P.M. Award-winning writer Salman Rushdie reads from and
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discusses his new novel, “Luka and the Fire of Life,” at the Sixth & I Historic Synagogue, 600 I St.NW, in an event sponsored by Politics and Prose Bookstore. Tickets are $12 each, or two free with purchase of the book at P&P; call 202-364-1919 or 202-408-3100. 7 P.M. The online journal Beltway Poetry hosts a 10th anniversary reading featuring contributors to the new anthology “Full Moon on K Street : Poems AboutWashington, D.C.,” including DerrickWeston Brown, Barbara Goldberg, Brandon Johnson, Tony Medina, E. Ethelbert Miller, Myra Sklarew and editor Kim Roberts at the Shaw Neighborhood Library, 1630 Seventh St.NW, 202-727-1288. 18 THURSDAY | Noon. The U.S. Capitol Historical Society wraps up its 2010 reading series with Kate Masur, an assistant professor of history and African American studies at Northwestern University, discussing her new book, “An Example for All the Land: Emancipation and the Struggle over Equality inWashington, D.C.,” at the VFWBuilding, Ketchum Hall, 200 Maryland Ave. NE. Call 202-543-8919, ext. 38, or e-mail
uschs@uschs.org . 7 P.M. Illustrator Loren Long signs copies of the new children’s picture book by President Barack Obama, “Of Thee I Sing: A Letter to My Daughters,” at Barnes & Noble-Tysons Corner Center, 1961 Chain Bridge Rd., McLean, Va., 703-506-2937. 7 P.M. Journalist RichardWolffe discusses and signs his new book, “Revival: The Struggle for Survival Inside the ObamaWhite House,” at Politics and Prose Bookstore, 202-364-1919. 7 P.M. Shirley H. Perry reads from and discusses her new memoir, “After Many Days: My Life as a Spy and Other Grand Adventures,” at the Georgetown Neighborhood Library, 3260 R St.NW, 202-727-0232. 7:30 P.M. Jason G. Speck, the assistant university archivist at the University of Maryland, discusses and signs “University of Maryland,” his new book
in the illustrated “Campus History Series,” at Barnes & Noble-Rockville, 12089 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Md., 301-881-0237. 19 FRIDAY | 7 P.M. Physician Siddhartha Mukherjee reads from and discusses his new book, “The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer,” at Politics and Prose Bookstore, 202-364-1919. A book signing follows. 20 SATURDAY| 9 A.M. The National Archives (700 Pennsylvania Ave. NW) is marking the sesquicentennial of the Civil War with a day-long symposium, “The CivilWar: Fresh Perspectives.” A reception follows. Admission is $50; for details and to register, call 877-444-6777 or visit
www.archives.gov. 11 A.M. Barnes & Noble at Tysons Corner Center is hosting a reading of the classic holiday tale “The Nutcracker,” by members of the BalletNOVA. The dancers will read with children one-on- one, followed by a special preview performance of the ballet’s production. For details, call 703-506-2937. 1 P.M. The third floor of Mazza Gallerie (5300Wisconsin Ave. NW) is hosting “Creating Your Best Life,” a panel discussion with five writers, including Patricia DiVecchio, author of “EvolutionaryWork: Unleashing Your Potential in Extraordinary Times”; Kerry Hannon, author of “What’s Next? Follow Your Passion and Find Your Dream Job”; Jess McCann, author of “You Lost Him at Hello: A Saleswoman’s Secrets to Closing the Deal with Any Guy You Want”; Kimberly Palmer, author of “Generation Earn: The Young Professional’s Guide to Spending, Investing, and Giving Back”; and Reina S.Weiner, author of “Strong From the Start: Raising Confident and Resilient Kids.” The event will be hosted by blogger Pamela Sorenson; call 202-966-6114 or visit
www.mazzagallerie.com for details. For more literary events, go to
washingtonpost.com/gog/ and search “book event.”
anything for some 40 years. So what is it that enables a man to endure such trials and emerge unbroken? Hillenbrand credits Zamperini’s defi- anceandirrepressible spirit. “Thesameattributes thathadmadehimthe boy terror ofTorrance,” she contends, “[sustained] him in the greatest strug- gle of his life.”
bookworld@washpost.com
Gary Krist is the author of “TheWhite Cascade” and of a forthcoming book on Chicago afterWorldWar I.
Jonathan Yardley Jonathan Yardley’s review of “Decision Points” by GeorgeW. Bush ran in the Style section on Nov. 8. He will return to this space next week.
10 STRENGTHS FINDER 2.0: ... ONLINE TEST FROM
GALLUP’S “NOW, DISCOVER YOUR STRENGTHS” (Gallup, $24.95). By Tom Rath
Rankings reflect sales for the week ended Nov. 7, 2010. The charts may not be reproduced without permission from Nielsen BookScan. Copyright 2010 by Nielsen BookScan. (The right-hand column of numbers represents weeks on this list, which premiered in Book World on Jan. 11, 2004. The bestseller lists in print alternate between hardcover and paperback; the complete list can be found online.)
6 Paperback Bestsellers at
voices.washingtonpost.com/political-bookworm Friday IN STYLE:WalterMosley 1
GAIN (Atria, $25.99). By Portia de Rossi. The actress (and wife of Ellen DeGeneres) struggles with anorexia.
31 1 2 2 1 2
/
BOOKWORLD THISWEEK
COMINGINSTYLE
MONDAY | A Very Simple Crime, by Grant Jerkins, is a disturbing thriller about a troubled family.
TUESDAY | Revival: The Struggle for Survival Inside the ObamaWhite House, by RichardWolffe.
WEDNESDAY | Horse-racing scams drive the restless narrative of Jaimy Gordon’s new novel, Lord of Misrule. Luka and the Fire of Life is a fantasy for readers of all ages by Salman Rushdie. AndWomen’s Memoirs.
THURSDAY | Selected Stories collects 48 pieces by the Irish masterWilliam Trevor.
FRIDAY | The bond between a man in his 90s and a teenaged girl lies at the heart ofWalter Mosley’s novel The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey.
SATURDAY | A German-Jewish detective inWeimar Germany runs into trouble in Paul Grossman’smystery The Sleepwalkers.
voices.washingtonpost.com/political-bookworm
Read our blog, Political Bookworm, which focuses on books that stir the national conversation. Join us as we debate the issues and authors making news today.
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