Because Ideas Matter...
The faculty and staff of Butler University's College of Liberal
Arts and Sciences presents
Recommended Readings
Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival,
Resilience, and Redemption
by Laura Hillenbrand, Random House, 2010
Reviewed by Lacey Echols
America has lost many stories about World
War II with the passage of time. However, Laura Hillenbrand
has offered a fascinating and true story of Louis Zamperini in the
non-fiction book Unbroken. During a childhood of mischief Zamparini
discovered a natural talent for running, participating in the 1936
Olympics in Berlin. With the advent of the war, Zampirini
felt obligated to enlist in the Army Air Corps and served as a
bombardier on the infamous B-24. Hillenbrand's research on the
plane and the war is remarkable and interesting. Hillenbrand
interviewed Zamparini many times to get the true picture of his
early life, his military life, and his survival after being being
imprisoned in Japanese POW camps for several years.
The ultimate story is one of triumph, and
those of us who have only enjoyed peace in our lives could use a
reminder of the sacrifices of others during war time. Zamparini is
a great example of using great personal energy to achieve dreams
and ultimately to survive what seem to be impossible situations
without losing humanity. After the war, Zamparini struggled
with feelings of hatred and abused alcohol, but a rare experience
helped him to forgive and dedicate his life to helping
others. The story has a surprise ending that should teach all
of us how to live, have faith, and trust in God.
- Lacey Echols is Instructory of Mathematics at Butler
University.