In one of the most unifying but heartbreaking time periods of the 20th century, Louis Zamperini lived in one of the harshest places in the world. Not really though, he first was a mischievous kid who then became an Olympian runner. In this biography, a young man went from a time where he was one of the greatest milers in the world to floating on a raft with two crewmates. Then from there, he would go on to live in some of the cruelest places in the world, Japanese POW camps. Only in late 1945 would he be liberated and return to the United States.
I think this is an amazing biography that was carefully written and was very thorough. Laura Hillenbrand did a terrific job describing Louis Zamperini’s life and included some very meaningful pictures. The facts included were all true, and was inspired into a movie. There are many parts that were excellently written. For example, when Louis was described arriving Naoetsu, a POW camp, the narrative could make me imagine what exactly was happening.
In my opinion, the most memorable part of the book was when Louis was nearly eaten by a shark. When the survivors were drifting in the raft, two sharks surrounded the raft. One day, Louie glanced at the water and found there were no sharks to be found. His puzzlement quickly disappeared as Louie fell back with surprise. This makes this part the most memorable.
Reviewed by Edward, Grade 6, Twin Hickory Library
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