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    Summary and Analysis of Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption: Based on the Book by Laura Hillenbrand
    Summary and Analysis of Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption: Based on the Book by Laura Hillenbrand
    Summary and Analysis of Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption: Based on the Book by Laura Hillenbrand
    Ebook81 pages1 hour

    Summary and Analysis of Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption: Based on the Book by Laura Hillenbrand

    By Worth Books

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    About this ebook

    So much to read, so little time? This brief overview of Unbroken tells you what you need to know—before or after you read Laura Hillenbrand’s book.

    Crafted and edited with care, Worth Books set the standard for quality and give you the tools you need to be a well-informed reader.
     
    This short summary and analysis of Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption includes:
    • Historical context
    • Chapter-by-chapter overviews
    • Detailed timeline of events
    • Character profiles
    • Important quotes
    • Fascinating trivia
    • Glossary of terms
    • Supporting material to enhance your understanding of the original work
    About Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand:
     
    Louis Zamperini was a true American hero: He proudly represented the United States as a champion runner in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, served his country as a skilled Air Corps bombardier during World War II, and survived more than a month lost at sea after his plane crashed into the Pacific Ocean—only to end up as a prisoner of war in Japan.
     
    When he was finally released, Zamperini was tormented by personal demons and wracked by post-traumatic stress disorder. After meeting evangelical minister Billy Graham, he became a born-again Christian and was able to forgive the captors who tortured him.
     
    More than a military biography, Unbroken is a timeless, engrossing, and inspiring story of bravery, endurance, and resilience.
     
    The summary and analysis in this ebook are intended to complement your reading experience and bring you closer to a great work of nonfiction.
     
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherOpen Road Integrated Media
    Release dateMay 9, 2017
    ISBN9781504044929
    Summary and Analysis of Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption: Based on the Book by Laura Hillenbrand
    Author

    Worth Books

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    Reviews for Summary and Analysis of Unbroken

    4.5/5

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    • 5/5
      While this is not the typical genre of book I read, it held my attention throughout. It kept me awake at night pondering the seemingly unending depths of cruelty of which humanity is capable, but also the resiliency of the human spirit. I gained a much clearer understanding of WWII and a much greater appreciation for the sacrifices of military personnel.
    • 5/5
      Very suspenseful; a true story of Louis Zamperini, his life as an troubled youth turned to Olympic runner and then his horrific experience during WW II. It is very descriptive and makes one really realize the horrors and atrocities that went on with the prisoners during that time frame. My heart broke for him as well as his family. A must read for anyone interested in WW II history.
    • 5/5
      I would absolutely recommend this novel to anyone who is fascinated with history and the lives that it impacted. I have read this novel with classes in the past and the students always enjoy the photographs from that time that are sprinkled throughout the book. This acts as an engaging tool that I use for discussion and stepping stones for adding in videos that tell more about aspects such as the B-29s and the Bombing of Pearl Harbor.

    Book preview

    Summary and Analysis of Unbroken - Worth Books

    Contents

    Context

    Overview

    Summary

    Timeline

    Cast of Characters

    Direct Quotes and Analysis

    Trivia

    What’s That Word?

    Critical Response

    About Laura Hillenbrand

    For Your Information

    Bibliography

    Copyright

    Context

    The Great Crusade of World War II drew the map of the world we know today, and many of the political freedoms we still enjoy are the result of the fight against fascism. The United States still sends soldiers to war in order to protect the freedoms people around the world have today, many of whom face daily brutality and cruelty, and sometimes, must overcome great odds to survive.

    Although there are few veterans of World War II still alive today, author Laura Hillenbrand met a solider with a remarkable story of perseverance. Unbroken is the true story of Louis Zamperini, the man and solider who faced mind-numbing challenges—from prejudice and bullying to very real and cruel enemies in war to haunted memories—with determination and was able to find redemption and personal victory.

    Since Unbroken’s publication in 2010, the book has been a runaway success. It was on the New York Times bestseller list for more than four years and spent fourteen weeks at number one. The book was praised by readers and critics alike. In 2010, it was named Time magazine’s Top 10 Nonfiction Books and Publishers Weekly’s Top 10 Best Books. In 2011, it received an Indies Choice Book Award, among other accolades. It was adapted into a young adult edition aimed at younger readers, and in 2014, it was turned into a major motion picture. Produced and directed by Angelina Jolie with a screenplay written by the Coen brothers, Richard LaGravenese, and William Nicholson, the film was included in American Film Institute’s Top 10 Films of the Year.

    Overview

    Hillenbrand examines the life of Louis Zamperini, an unpromising juvenile delinquent whose brother helps him turn his life around to become a record-smashing Olympic runner. Shortly after the United States entered into World War II, Louie enlisted in the army. He became a skilled Air Corps bombardier who, after crashing in the Pacific, survived forty-seven days on a life raft only to be captured by Japanese soldiers and subjected to inhumane treatment for the next two years at a series of POW camps. Post-war, he was tormented by personal demons and wracked with post-traumatic stress disorder, until he met Billy Graham. Becoming a Christian and doing speaking tours in Japan helped Zamperini forgive his tormentors.

    Laura Hillenbrand reconstructs elements of Zamperini’s life in great and evocative detail. Through letters and interviews, the author brings to life not only the men who were with Zamperini on his life raft and in the Japanese camps, but the families they left behind. The suffering of the men is excruciating: starvation, thirst, and shark attacks, followed by the brutalities inflicted by the Japanese—particularly the sadistic Mutsuhiro Watanabe, known as the Bird, who seemed dedicated to making Zamperini’s life unbearable.

    Hillenbrand follows some of Watanabe’s life after the Japanese surrender, providing a foil to Zamperini. Zamperini wrote to his former tormentor to forgive him, and even attempted to meet him in person, but it never came about. Though Louie was redeemed, the Bird was not. Louie founded a boys’ camp, became a motivational speaker, had a loving wife and family, got to carry the Olympic torch in triumph, and remained cheerful and active throughout his long and fruitful life. Louie’s is indeed a story of resilience and survival, the making of an average man into a triumph.

    Summary

    PART I

    One: The One-Boy Insurgency

    Louis Silvie Zamperini was born on January 26, 1917 in Olean, New York, to Italian immigrants Anthony and Louise Zamperini. In 1919, the family moved to California, where Anthony worked as a railway electrician. Louie was a fractious kid, picking up cigarette butts to smoke by age five, scaling the steeple of the Baptist church in the middle of the night and rousing the fire and police departments with incessant ringing, and playing all kinds of vicious—and sometimes hilarious—pranks. Nothing discouraged him and nothing put him on a more constructive path.

    Meanwhile, his older brother, Pete, appeared to be his opposite. He was handsome and well groomed, he acted as protector to their sisters Sylvia and Virginia, and the whole town fawned over him. But Pete was also secretly a prankster—it was just that Louie was the one who always got caught. Louie wasn’t very athletic; he’d had pneumonia when he was little and remained skinny and slightly frail.

    In the 1920s in Torrance, California, Italians were looked down on. Kids made fun of Louie’s poor English, and he was held back a grade. Bullies

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