Unbroken

I don't know if this is cheating or not, since I'm not even done with the book, but I just need to rave about Unbroken, by Laura Hillenbrand.

Laura Hillenbrand is the author of Seabiscuit, and while this has nothing to do with the book, it's an interesting sidenote--she has chronic fatigue disorder. Which, if you're like me, always seems sort of fake, but I read an amazing article about her and how she didn't leave her house for like 2 years because she was so tired, and it takes her an entire day just to write a few emails or write a few pages of a book. And both Seabiscuit and this book are about animals or people who are moving fast, so I think it's really interesting that she is so physically afflicted.

Anyway. Unbroken is about Louie Zamperini, who was an Olympic runner and WWII veteran. I am only a little more than halfway through this book, and it is already one of the most incredible books I've ever read.

I guess Laura Hillenbrand heard about Louie when she was researching Seabiscuit, because their names always showed up together in the Sports section. SO she decided to write a book about him.

It talks about his early life as a kid and teenager, and you will just fall in love with him, he's very mischievous and always running away from people so he wouldn't get in trouble. Eventually he channeled that into running REALLY fast, and broke every record in southern California, and went to the 1936 Olympics, where he did things like meet Hitler and steal a Nazi flag.

Then the war starts, he's in the Navy, and I don't want to give away too much, but his experiences are unbelievable and horrifying. He is adrift in the Pacific on a raft for over a month with no supplies, captured by the Japanese and struggles daily through a hellish POW camp, and . . . I'm not sure what happens next. That's where I am in the book. It is so, SO good. (And I know I always say that so I probably can't be trusted, but truly, this book is incredible.)

I just can't even believe what the human body, and more amazingly, the human spirit can endure. I have been shocked and amazed and completely inspired by nearly every chapter in this book. When I finish I'll let you know how even more amazed I am at this man.