Unbreakable by Laura Hillenbrand

I just finished the book Intact by Laura Hillenbrand. I just finished this last night and was so moved that I thought it would be perfect to do a review right now. It’s a little over 400 pages long, but it’s excellent, easy to read, and I finished it in about 4 days. If you’re not familiar with the book, it is about a WWII Army Air Corps officer who is captured by the Japanese and taken as a prisoner of war.

Intact begins with the childhood and growing up life of Louie Zamperini. He became an Olympian by running the 5,000 meters, but he was expected to break the 4-minute mile long before Roger Bannister. However, World War II came and his chance at the Olympics was lost when they were cancelled. He then entered the war as a bomber, flying a monstrous plane at the time and dropping the bombs on his targets. Louie had several successful missions before he was asked to perform a rescue mission on a plane that his crew was unfamiliar with. Two engines went out and crashed into the Pacific Ocean. Although he was entangled in a cable and lost consciousness, he was still able to float to the top. He and two others floated for 47 days in the Pacific to a small set of Japanese-occupied islands.

Unbroken then moves on to his time as a prisoner of war and ultimately his freedom as the Japanese admit defeat. However, the story doesn’t end there, as he has trouble dealing with his past and has some demons that he has to fight. I don’t want to reveal all the details here and spoil the book, so go get it now!

Unbroken is a slightly different book than what I have reviewed before. However, it still delivers a great message of survival, resilience, and redemption, all leadership qualities as well.

Two interesting parts of the book to share:

Her brother Pete sent her an envelope while he was at the Olympics. Inside were two cards, an ace and a joker. On the joker, Pete had written, “Which one are you going to be, the joker, which is another word for horse’s ass, or the TOPS: ace of spades. Top of the bunch. Top of the deck, you pick.” . “On the ace he had written:” Let’s see you as the best of the deck. If the joker doesn’t appeal to you, throw it away and keep this one for good luck. Pete”.

Which one do you want to be? Are you leading like a joker or the ace of spades? If your goal is the ace of spades, how are you going to get there? Another story is while he is in the Olympic race itself. He is not well and he does not feel well. So, this thought comes to mind.

“A lifetime of glory is worth more than a moment of pain. Louie thought, let it go.” It’s not always easy to let go of challenges, overcome them and seek glory. Nevertheless, it is it’s worth it. What are you struggling with that you need to let go of?

We are so blessed to live in this beautiful country and at this time. We were put on earth to do great things. Stand tall and overcome whatever is troubling you. In short, become INTACT.