Unbroken is the story of Louis Zamperini, a name I’d never heard before I read his obituary. (Neither had Oscar, and he knows everything there is to know about sports.)
The demographics.
Louis Zamperini died recently, at the age of 97. He was a juvenile delinquent, an unlikely Olympian who appeared at the 1936 Berlin Olympics where he met Hitler, a bombardier on a B-24 fighting against the Japanese after Pearl Harbor. His plane was shot down. He and the pilot survived 47 days in a life raft without provisions. He spent years in a Japanese POW camp where he endured starvation and torture. After the war he had a hard time of it - finally turned his life around with the help of the Reverend Billy Graham.
The book.
A life such as this should not be a bore. Far from it. The book, unfortunately, is so boring I struggled to slog my way through the first third before giving up.
The problem.
The author’s voice. The author, also the author of Seabiscuit (a book my husband loved), drones on about the facts of Mr. Zamperini’s life in such a monotone that I felt like I was stuck in the most boring college lecture in the history of the world given by the most boring lecturer in the history of the world. It’s all tell tell tell. This happened and then that happened and then this happened and then that happened…
I’m a lover of nonfiction. I’m passionate about it. I can get excited reading a book about rocks. No kidding. The best nonfiction writers bring their true tales to life- paint people and nature and events with vivid colors. In this particular case, the author has managed to turn one of the most gripping stories/biographies of the Twentieth Century into a flaming bore.
You know me. I rarely ever say a bad word about a book. In fact my general rule of thumb is this - If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all. Well, I’m making an exception. Don’t waste your money. Maybe Angelina Jolie can do a better job with the film.
In the meantime, I’m giving this book a try - The Devil at My Heels, by David Rensin and Louis Zamperini. Louis Zamperini’s story in his own words.
An addendum: I am so glad I switched! Devil At My Heels is gripping! Can’t put it down. I read for four hours straight the other night- looked up and it was 2 a.m. Skip Unbroken. Get this.
Thanks for the recommendation!
Good morning, Julia. I have Unbroken on my Kindle and am anxious to read it. My husband Robert did not find it boring, rather he found it a very depressing read. I read a long excerpt in Vanity Fair a few yeas back and found it engaging, but horrific in what Louis Zamperini was going through. I think what your post illustrates for me, is how different we can all view the same book. For another example, my daughter loved Cloud Atlas, and yet I found it difficult to stay with the novel. It was well-written but it didn’t grab me. Reading can be so subjective. I think that explains the range of reviews we often see for the same book.
Like you, Diana, I heard a lot of positives about Unbroken and read an excerpt and thought the book would be engaging. I was very wrong. Devil At My Heels, on the other hand, is totally engaging! I agree, to each his own. I also thought Cloud Atlas was a big fat bore.
The odd thing is that in Unbroken I read the exact same information, and in the same order, provided in The Devil At My Heels but the voice is completely different.
I’d love to hear what you think when you finish Unbroken.
Devil At My Heels is really good, Amber!
Huh. Interesting post.
I wonder if I’ll be able to tell - when I have time, I’ll check out the beginning of both books by their samples. You have a good ear - I wonder also what happened.
Seabiscuit was good - and I don’t even like that much non-fiction (you have to be able to pay attention to follow the arguments the author makes to support a thesis). I think I read SB in little chunks - long time ago.
Maybe when I’m finished writing - I really can’t do both, not in long form. I keep getting caught in trying a new book - and losing the next day or two of writing.
Thank you for the recommendation, I want to read Devil At My Heels!
It is a courageous book, Kat.
Good luck, Alicia. Basically Unbroken restates everything in Devil At My Heels. Pretty much the same book, just told in different voices. Devil At My Heels in is the first person. You really hear Louis Zamperini talking to you.
Julia
I appreciate the kind words, as would Louie
Thank you for stopping by, David. I’m in awe. The story is amazing. I hear his voice as I read every word I read. Brilliant.