by Laura Hillenbrand
Unlike all of the previous books reviewed, this is a work of non-fiction. It is a biography about Louis Zamperini. Louis was a remarkable man who was a "petty thief" as a youngster, became an Olympic athlete, survived for weeks in a raft in the middle of the Pacific after an aeroplane crash, survived the terror of being a WW2 POW in Japan, overcoming a period of alcoholism after the war, and lived to be an "old man".
I have a love/hate relationship with this book. I loved it because I learnt a great deal about the Pacific Arena during WW2, and particularly Japanese POW camps, and the USA's involvement in the war. The author has been meticulous with her research. But I found it hard to accept the "blinkered?" American focus, when there were other nations involved as well. There was only the occasional mention of others. My unease about this occurred from the early stages of the book, with intense focus on the breaking the 4 minute barrier for the mile race (athletics) - there was no mention of the great athletes who were close to that barrier, or of those who did eventually break it. Later, war allies with the Americans were mentioned, but only very briefly. For instance, when the Japanese invaded Tarawa, we were told that all American POW's were killed. No mention was made of the New Zealand civilians who had volunteered to be "coast watchers", were sent to Tarawa, who were all killed. The book would have more credibility if more associated details had been incorporated. Despite these omissions, I think this is a very interesting book.
Recommended - Secondary School Students and adults
