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love this comment: The snark in me thinks the last thing we sucky Gen Y-ers need is a reminder of the superiority of the Greatest Generation, and wonders how one can survive a plane crash, being adrift at sea for 6 weeks in shark infested waters, and a Japanese POW camp, only to fall prey to Billy Graham...
Ha. But like you said, we don't know anything about Zamperini himself. It's possible to be able to survive all that, yet still be susceptible to Billy Graham's specific brand of nonsense. I haven't read this book, but would like to. Not so interested in the movie. It looks too...sentimental and epic. Or something.

It was obvious in the book that Zamperini was suffering from PTSD and alcoholism after the war, so it really made sense (and, ahem, actually found it sweet) that he turned to Christ for the spiritual redemption that he needed. It was actually a wonderful part of the story, I just thought it was funny that the Reverend Asshole was the one to save him. Oh well. Whatever works. O:)
I'd definitely give the book a try for the storytelling alone. It's just so wonderfully written.
The movie? I saw it. I hate Angelina Jolie, but...I mean, it was fine. There was nothing to love about it, nothing really to dislike, it kept mostly to the major themes in the book...meh, it was fine. People were clapping in the theater where I saw the movie when it ended, so I'm guessing some people really enjoyed it. :)

La Petite Américaine wrote: "It was obvious in the book that Zamperini was suffering from PTSD and alcoholism after the war, so it really made sense (and, ahem, actually found it sweet) that he turned to Christ for the spiritu..."

As you say, whatever works, but it is unfortunate that he found the help he needed in one of those televised blabbermouths instead of with a local pastor/church. But if Rev. Asshole (ha) helped him, then great. I have no problem with Angelina Jolie. I'm weird about movies. Unless they will look better on the big screen than on my tv or I really love the cast, I wait for VOD or Netflix. I can't sit still for 3 hours (all those stupid commercials and previews). I'll probably see the movie eventually, but would rather read the book.

For what it's worth, he met Reverend Asshole before he was a talking head on TV. The fact that Zamperini never went all cultish trying to convert people, bugging the world with religious talk, or praising Graham has me believing (hoping?) that he wasn't a complete nut job.

I'd definitely read the book, esp, before seeing the movie. And this is definitely a wait-for-Netflix movie.

Guess, I'll be checking it out. Didn't want to see the movie since Angelina Jolie directed it, just not a fan of hers ... but I was already thinking the book was worth the read anyway.

The movie is derivative of every other movie you've ever seen -- especially war movies. So, it's not like it carries some trademark stamp of Angelina Jolie (thank God). It was fine...
The book is amazing, though.

Your complaint and mini-snark are not at all offside; I thought the book was going to highlight the POWs and everything they went through, using Zamperini as a sort of springboard. It was only after I was part way through that I realized it was also his bio. And maybe your "so what" indicated there was nothing exceptional about him, except that he survived.
(Or maybe that's just a sucky Boomer response!)

Will wrote: "Your complaint and mini-snark are not at all offside; I thought the book was going to highlight the POWs and everything they went through, using Zamperini as a sort of springboard. It was only afte..."

You bring up an interesting point, so I felt the need to elaborate...and apologies, Will, this response turned out to be way longer than I meant it to be. :)

My small gripes haven't changed: I'm still miffed that I never got to know "the man" Zamperini through the book. I'm still baffled by his relationship with Billy Graham (but since he never became a Bible-thumping douchebag, I don't care). And yes, I still feel like crap every time I read about the Silent Generation, especially since my own lackluster peer group is caught between selfish Boomers and obnoxious Millennials.

While my gripes remain, I still adore this book for more reasons than I could ever list here.

I was telling someone yesterday that one of my favorite aspects of this book was its treatment of heroism. This could easily have been a run-of-the-mill bio of a war hero, but it absolutely wasn't. Heroism in the story had nothing do with battle victories or fantastic wartime feats. Instead, heroism was took a variety of forms: athletic achievement; extraordinary physical and mental fortitude; courage so great that it bordered on audacity; a miraculous survival of the unimaginable; and making good on a vow to live out one's days as a good person.

Yeah. No one's ever going to top that generation.

And I still fucking love this book. :)

I guess I didn't put that very well. I can see that the Zamperini story doesn't say much about the man himself: you wanted more, but for me it was already more than enough.
And you make some good points about heroism - just survival under those conditions IS heroic. Though there were many who never recovered from their POW experiences, as Hillenbrand mentions, and they were no less heroic.

Yes, we all live in that generation's shadow.

Will wrote: "I guess I didn't put that very well. I can see that the Zamperini story doesn't say much about the man himself: you wanted more, but for me it was already more than enough.
And you make some good p..."

The heroism discussion came up yesterday when my friend and I ended up talking about that movie American Sniper (and the hype surrounding it) making the guy out to be some sort of mythical American hero.

I don't define being a gifted marksman who did his job well (in a war that never should have happened in the first place) a hero, even if you did kill lots of bad guys. My definition of heroism is much more in line with the way it's described in Unbroken.

And I agree with you: anyone who survived the conditions Hillenbrand describes, whether or not they truly recovered, is heroic.

Fantastic book. Beautifully written. Edge of my couch kinda book. I’m a Catholic; but I don’t get the insults regarding Billy Graham. If ever there was a scandal free, walk the walk preacher, I’d say it’s Billy Graham. No matter what political party is in the White House, he was there, (if invited of course).
I know a few people who have watched some of those Billy Graham televised whatever one calls them, and they called because they were feeling kinda low. Not once was anyone asked for money in any way. I’ve heard this a lot.
As for those other scumbag telecreatures, they make me sick and I’m glad they were found out to be the “religion� using monsters that they were.
Sure, some are still around, and lots of people who are easy marks for cult type behavior still donate to those clowns.
Billy Graham, no matter if you’re religious or not, has never had a HINT or
the SLIGHTEST touch of scandal attached to him.
No one here has to believe me, but I think he’s the rare person who can be defined as a TRULY GOOD MAN.
Being raised Catholic; (and I’m a lapsed Catholic, I’ll admit it) did show me some very good things about life before I discovered the very bad things. Especially in the Catholic Church. With the Pope we have now, I’m leaning against a wall, tapping my foot and waiting to say “NEXT!�
I don’t proselytize and I have no patience for those who do. My FAITH is just that. MY faith.
Pope Benedict stepped down (unheard of) because he was stopped at every turn when he tried to expose the pedophiles and more.
Anyway, I too was a bit shocked when Louie found his place with Billy Graham, but he could well have been a casually after all he’d survived if not for Billy Graham. Louie was not a stupid man. He was raised as a Catholic as well- but I’m just glad he found meaning in his life and his marriage was saved.
Now, how in the name of GOD did that PHONY piece of tripe (Angelina Jolie) get the go ahead to direct that movie?? How????
That was so horrible, I couldn’t believe it. It was a TERRIBLE MOVIE, and talk about the wasted potential.
Directed by a person in the biz who possessed a BRAIN, it could have been incredible.
But HER version just ENDS. It just ENDED! WTH? I was furious. And really, I think we all know how she got the job.
Anyway, It kinda vexed me to read � vitriol regarding Billy Graham. I did some research on him, and as I wrote, he was just a genuinely good man who truly believed. I don’t think the fact that he preached on TV warranted the nasty comments.
Regarding Louie again;I am always kind of upset when people who have been tortured and shown no mercy by their captors go looking for their punisher so that they can forgive them.
If they want to forgive them, they should. But traveling all the way to Japan, where that motherless son of Hirohito was hiding? Nooooo. He wouldn’t have cared anyway as he was a sadistic psychopath.
I read “Seabiscuit� by Hillenbrand and loved it. The movie was good as well, even though that simpleton Toby McGuire played the jockey.
But “Unbroken?� That’s a movie that needs remade.
We’re such weaklings today compared to the people of Louie’s generation. Physically and often, mentally.
If people such as many of us are now had fought in WW II, we’d probably have stood a chance just by our incessant whining alone. Or, we’d have lost. And when you think about it, that war was CLOSE.
It’s probably good the French surrendered and hid, or they’d have just made a mess of everything. 😎
So I’ll end my stream of consciousness post here by saying that “Unbroken� was that rare book I hated to see end. Hillenbrand is one hell of an author, even with her severe agoraphobia.

Emily Nelson wrote: "Fantastic book. Beautifully written. Edge of my couch kinda book. I’m a Catholic; but I don’t get the insults regarding Billy Graham. If ever there was a scandal free, walk the walk preacher, I’d s..."

It was a joke. I actually don’t have an issue with Graham. Just trying to be funny.