The Best Books Club Column: "Unbroken: A World War II story of survival, resilience and redemption," by Ellen Hillenbrand

If it hadn’t been for the results of a what’s-your-favorite-nonfiction-genre poll in The Best Books Club Facebook group, I wouldn’t have chosen a biography of the reader’s choice for this month’s selection.

You see, I’m not a fan of biographies. More on that during our October Facebook Live chat!

Although they are usually housed together both in libraries and bookstores, biographies, autobiographies and memoirs are not the same thing. Biography writers recount the story of another person’s life, autobiographers recount their own life story to date and writers of memoir share with readers a portion of their own life that is, for some reason, significant.

I searched for hours at the local library and in online bookstores, weeding out the autobiographies and memoirs, hoping to find a short and fun book. I finally settled on a book I first read back in 2014: “Unbroken,” by Ellen Hillenbrand.

The story of Louie (Louis) Zamperini is definitely neither short nor fun. Hillenbrand divides Zamperini’s life into three sections: First, she tells the story of a mischievous boy who eventually becomes a member of the U.S. Olympic track team that competes in the 1936 games in Berlin. Ironically, his grit and determination so impress Adolf Hitler that Hitler insists on meeting the young athlete and congratulating him on his performance.

The middle portion, the meat of the book, encompasses the period beginning with Zamperini’s 1941 enlistment in the Army Air Corps. The bulk of this section recounts what ensued after the B-24 on which he served as a bombardier went down in the Pacific and he was “rescued” approximately 46 days later by the Japanese. Hillenbrand’s account, based on approximately 75 telephone interviews with Zamperini as well as other research, provides an unflinching and horrifying account of the daily torture and beatings that were part of the inhumane treatment Zamperini experienced during his two-plus year imprisonment in several Japanese POW camps.

The third section of the book opens with his return to the United States in October 1945. A celebrity once again, Zamperini is fueled by anger and desire for revenge on the captors who treated him so sadistically. Struggling with alcohol abuse and a failing marriage, he eventually meets Billy Graham. It is this encounter and Zamperini’s return to faith that he credits with his ability to release the past and spend the rest of his life enjoying his wife and family and sharing his inspiring story with others.

“Unbroken” is, without a doubt, an outstanding book that shares an important story of determination and courage, resilience and survival, faith and renewal. And even though I don’t care for biographies, it is one of my all-time favorite books.

You see, although my own life difficulties pale to near nothingness in comparison to Zamperini’s, there is much of great value I can both identify with and take away from his story.

And I think the same is true for every person who reads “Unbroken.”

This month, we’re changing the day for our Facebook Live chat about this book, and we hope you’ll join us.

Some questions we’ll consider at 4 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 11:

1. Whose biography did you choose? Why?

2. What was the most interesting thing you learned about the person from the biography itself?

3. Did reading this person’s biography impact your impression of them? If so, in what way?

4. If the biography was made into a movie, who would you choose to play the lead? (If it has already been made into a movie, choose someone other than the person in the film.)

5. What do you think was the greatest contribution to society of the person whose biography you read?

__Up Next__

Next month, I’m once again stepping outside of my comfort zone and choosing a book that doesn’t tick off a single one of my “must-read” criteria! I have been repeatedly told by readers whose opinion I trust that it’s a great book, so join me in reading “The Midnight Library,” by Matt Haig.

Patti Miinch, a resident of Cape Girardeau, is an author, mother and mother-in-law of two, grandmother of three and retired educator; while she has many loves, spending time with her family, sports, travel and reading top the list.