Haven’t read it, but if you’re ever in Torrance, CA, you can stop in at Zamperini Field, the local airport, and see a little display of Zamperini memorabilia and information. School kids still do reports on him sometimes in the Torrance schools.
I’m reading it at the moment. I’ve gotten to the point where he and Phil have just been picked up by the Japanese Navy. This book is excellent.
Her Sports Illustrated interview on writing Unbroken is here:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/tim_layden/12/15/hillenbrand.q.a/index.html
Hillenbrand: I'm drawn to subjects who struggle against adversity, and struggling against adversity is what defines an athlete. To succeed, an athlete must transcend the boundaries of the body and the mind, pushing through pain and exhaustion, doubt and fear and mental fatigue, extending his or her body to its structural limits. I'm fascinated by the way in which sports draw out the essentials of character: perseverance, resilience, tenacity, daring. One thing that made Louie Zamperini so special a subject was the way in which all of the attributes he called upon to be a great runner were the same attributes he called upon to survive in combat, as a castaway on a life raft and as a prisoner of war.
Hillenbrand: I love to write about individuals who lived lives full of motion, because [chronic fatigue syndrome] leaves me trapped in stillness. Creating a book is a very intense process for me; as I conduct research, or write, I imagine and reimagine the events, trying to feel the experience with my subjects. I try to gather every possible detail, so I can see and feel each event as vividly as possible. In my mind, I'm with my subjects, whether it is aboard Seabiscuit’s back as he puts away War Admiral, or aboard a raft lost in the Pacific as a Japanese bomber strafes it with bullets and sharks circle alongside. Physically, I can't escape this illness, or even this house, but when I'm writing, I'm not here; I am in another place and time, in another body, living through someone else. The thing I yearn for the most in my life is to have a healthy body again, so I especially enjoy writing about supreme athletic moments.
Truly a wonderful book and inspirational story.
Wonderful book!
What an amazing life and an amazing story this was. I don’t think I will ever forget it. If any FReepers have a chance, go out and get and read this book.
For anyone who is interested (an I highly recommend it) here is the internet link to a Fox News story done about Zamperini.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/12/24/olympian-runner-hero-wwii-honored-anew/
When you get to the page just click on the video.