Skip to content

I believe that no two persons ever read the same book

My earliest memories are of books. Books of all genres were in my home growing up and were tucked in corners, on bookshelves and beside everyone’s bed.
Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption.
Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption.

My earliest memories are of books.

Books of all genres were in my home growing up and were tucked in corners, on bookshelves and beside everyone’s bed. As far back as I can remember, I have read myself to sleep at night starting with the Sweet Valley High series back in the ‘80s. Since then, thankfully, my taste in books has matured and broadened. I think that reading gives us a thousand lives and that the book is always better than the movie.

I am a retired teacher and literacy enthusiast, and twice a month I will be reviewing all levels of books right here in the Cochrane Eagle, hopefully saving you some wasted time by being as objective as possible, as I believe that no two persons read the same book.

Winston Churchill was quoted saying, “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”

It is as if in saying this he had just read Laura Hillenbrand’s second novel, Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption.

A factual account of Louis Zamperini, Hillenbrand tells the tale of a young, incorrigible and troubled boy growing up in California whose defiance is tempered by a love of running that carries him to the 1936 Berlin Olympics. This discipline he later channels into a determination that supports his own desperate fight for life with a willfulness that is astounding. When the Second World War begins, Zamperini becomes an airman and embarks on a journey that leads to a doomed flight in May of 1943. An epic raft experience, surviving starvation, sharks and thousands of miles of open ocean are just the beginning of this miraculous story.

This struggle is followed by a war fought in a foreign land and an immoral antagonist that will lead Zamperini on a voyage of endurance that reaches to the edges of the human spirit. He meets these challenges with admirable humour, determination and an understanding of what makes us alive. His resolve through trials and triumphs is what makes this book so engaging.

Although the book is a biography, even I, a lover of fiction, became single-mindedly obsessed by its fast paced, readable style. I think this book is thought provoking and I was surprised by how absolutely cruel humans can be, a theme navigated in this story, tastefully, without the use of gratuitous violence.

Once again, Hillenbrand, as she did in Seabiscuit, has explored a true story and given it a connection to the human mind, body and character.

This book will keep you reading through the night. It will also make you reconsider any bias you might have had against the non-fiction genre. Even if you are not a history buff, I would still recommend this book as an exploration of courage; the story goes beyond just the facts to focus on the author’s main theme: valour in the face of interminable odds.

push icon
Be the first to read breaking stories. Enable push notifications on your device. Disable anytime.
No thanks