Tag Archives: Elaine Bosch

On the shelf: ‘Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival…’ by Laura Hillenbrand

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By Elaine Bosch, Grand Rapids Public Library, Main Branch

 

Laura Hillenbrand knows how to turn a tale. Her first book Seabiscuit: An American Legend told the true story of the famous racehorse with all the depth and drive of great fiction. Her  second book, Unbroken: A World War II story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption an equally compelling historical read, proves Seabiscuit was more than beginner’s luck.

 

In 1931, Louis Zamperini was an energetic, incorrigible high school student with a penchant for stealing and scheming. Saved from self-destruction by the efforts of his older brother Pete, Louis learned to pack his considerable emotional baggage into running, a talent he had long possessed, but which he had heretofore used only to elude the authorities.

 

Louis became a record breaking local hero known as the “Torrance Tornado”. At the age of nineteen, he represented the United States in the 1936 Olympic games. He returned from Berlin, his passion intact, intent on being the first man to run a mile in four minutes or less.

 

World War II intervened. The 1940 Olympics, scheduled for Tokyo, were canceled, and Louis found himself a bombardier in the Air Force. In 1943, his plane went down in the Pacific Ocean. Louis suddenly found himself battling for something far more serious than a world record — his life.

 

For two years Zamperini faced deprivation and degradation that few can imagine — first as a survivor adrift in the ocean, and then as a prisoner of war at  the worst prison camps in Japan. Singled out due to his officer and celebrity status by “The Bird,” a psychotic, sadistic camp commander, Louis became the target of an intense campaign waged to utterly humiliate, demoralize, and destroy him. That he survived at all is amazing. That he did so with his spirit and joy intact is a miracle.

 

Hillenbrand will captivate you with this story, shocking and inspiring in turn. It is life and times writ large.

On the shelf: ‘Unbroken: A World War II story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption’ by Laura Hillenbrand

Citizen Journalism, Entertainment, , , , , ,

By Elaine Bosch, Grand Rapids Public Library, Main

 

Laura Hillenbrand knows how to turn a tale. Her first book Seabiscuit: An American Legend told the true story of the famous racehorse  with all the depth and drive of great fiction. Her second book, Unbroken: A World War II story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption, an equally compelling historical read, proves Seabiscuit was more than beginner’s luck.

 

In 1931, Louis Zamperini was an energetic, incorrigible high school student with a penchant for stealing and scheming. Saved from self-destruction by the efforts  of his older brother Pete, Louis learned to pack  his considerable emotional baggage into running, a talent he had long possessed, but which he had heretofore used only to elude the authorities.

 

Louis became a record-breaking local hero known as the “Torrance Tornado”. At the age of nineteen, he represented the United States in the 1936 Olympic games. He returned from Berlin, his passion intact, intent on being the first man to run a mile in four minutes or less.

 

World War II intervened. The 1940 Olympics, scheduled for Tokyo, were canceled, and Louis found himself a bombardier in the Air Force. In 1943, his plane went down in the Pacific Ocean. Louis suddenly found himself battling for something far more serious than a world record — his life.

 

For two years, Zamperini faced deprivation and degradation that few can imagine — first as a survivor adrift in the ocean, and then as a prisoner of war at  the worst prison camps in Japan. Singled out due to his officer and celebrity status by “The Bird,” a psychotic, sadistic camp commander, Louis became the target of an intense campaign waged to utterly humiliate, demoralize, and destroy him. That he survived at all is amazing. That he did so with his spirit and joy intact is a miracle.

 

Hillenbrand will captivate you with  this story, shocking and inspiring in turn. It is life and times writ large.

On the shelf: ‘Half Broke Horses’ by Jeannette Walls

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By Elaine Bosch, Grand Rapids Public Library, Main

 

Jeannette Walls, best-selling author of the compelling memoir, The Glass Castle, follows up with a “true life” novel — Half Broke Horses. Going back another generation in her family tree, Walls expounds, with insight and energy, on the life of her grandmother Lily.

The spirit of the family so memorably captured in The Glass Castle has its roots in Lily. Raised on hardscrabble horse ranches in Texas and Arizona at the turn of the 20th century, tough, outspoken Lily does not want an ordinary life as a wife and mother. She wants education, freedom and independence. She begins breaking horses at age 6. At 15, she rides 500 miles alone on horseback through the desert to take her first job. She furthers her search for education and excitement by moving to Chicago in her early twenties. Eventually, heartbreak and family obligations send her back to her roots in the west.

This wonderful book reads like a historical adventure. The people, places, and events of the times are well researched and accurate in spirit. The characters are colorful and the narrative is rollicking. Lily faces life’s tribulations and tragedies with style and determination. She builds a legacy, both philosophical and financial, that will sustain her family long after she has gone.

While Half Broke Horses stands on its own merits, it will be best appreciated if read in tandem with The Glass Castle. If you are already a fan of the memoir, you will be captivated by the prequel.