Unbroken - Laura Hillenbrand

The complete title is:
Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption

A tremendous biography of Louis Zamperini a young man who ran in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, then joined the Army Air Force at the start of World War II. His plane crashed in the South Pacific in May 1943 and he and two crew mates spent over a month in two rafts in open water beset by hunger, thirst, sharks, exposure, and a strafing. He was then taken prisoner by the Japanese and lived (if that's the word for it) in prison camps until the war was over.

This isn't one of the great works of literature or biography but it is a fascinating glimpse into the POW experience under Japanese control. I couldn't wait to get home from work every day to read until bed time.

Laura Hillenbrand also wrote the book Seabiscuit that was turned into a movie. Her writing isn't like Richard Russo, or David Halberstam, or Larry McMurtry where my first thought upon finishing is "I've got to find another book by this author" But it is very enjoyable. I imagine it will be turned into a movie in the next year or so.

I've got it if you want to borrow it.