Unbroken

Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand - To be discussed Wed March 7, 2012 at 6:30 at Geneseo Public Library

On a May afternoon in 1943, an Army Air Forces bomber crashed into the Pacific Ocean and disappeared, leaving only a spray of debris and a slick of oil, gasoline, and blood. Then, on the ocean surface, a face appeared. It was that of a young lieutenant, the plane’s bombardier, who was struggling to a life raft and pulling himself aboard. So began one of the most extraordinary odysseys of the Second World War.

The lieutenant’s name was Louis Zamperini. In boyhood, he’d been a cunning and incorrigible delinquent, breaking into houses, brawling, and fleeing his home to ride the rails. As a teenager, he had channeled his defiance into running, discovering a prodigious talent that had carried him to the Berlin Olympics and within sight of the four-minute mile. But when war had come, the athlete had become an airman, embarking on a journey that led to his doomed flight, a tiny raft, and a drift into the unknown.

Ahead of Zamperini lay thousands of miles of open ocean, leaping sharks, a foundering raft, thirst and starvation, enemy aircraft, and, beyond, a trial even greater. Driven to the limits of endurance, Zamperini would answer desperation with ingenuity; suffering with hope, resolve, and humor; brutality with rebellion. His fate, whether triumph or tragedy, would be suspended on the fraying wire of his will.

Questions: 1. Did you like the book? Would you add it to your permanent book collection? What do you like or not like about this book?

2. When Louie was young he was famous for stealing things. He mostly took things to eat. Do you think he was hungry or was he doing it for the fun of it? He was well known and thought of as a nuisance by the local police. Would a kid like that in today’s society be in more or less trouble with the law?

3. The Notre Dame coach warned Louis that the other runners planned to hurt him during the race. What could he have done to protect himself? Do you think this is just “part of the game” in most sports?

4. What was unique about the setting of the book and how did it enhance or take away from the story? Do you think the Germans and the Italians treated WW II American POWs differently? Do you think American POWs were treated any better or worse during Korea, Vietnam, the Civil War, Desert Storm, or any other Wars or military actions? In your opinion, in what war did they receive the worst treatment?

5. Even after they were pronounced dead by the Army, the families held on to the belief that their loved ones were still alive. What about the family members of the Other men in the crew who went down with the plane; do you think they held to similar beliefs?

6. Do the characters seem real and believable? Can you imagine yourself in their place? How were the characters changed by the events in the story?

7. Louie eventually went back to Japan and confronted his tormenter. Would you have been able to forgive the way Louie did? Is forgiveness a part of the religious experience Louie had at the revival?