Unbroken

On September 11th, on this 10th anniversary of one this country's darkest moment, it seems appropriate to write about a book I finished reading this week.  The book is about a man who is emblematic of the American spirit.  He's a man who rose from meager circumstances to know success, survived the unimaginable at the hands of unbelievable cruelty, then found a way to heal himself and his damaged psyche after he returned home a hero.

"Unbroken" is the story of Louie Zamperini.  I pride myself on my knowledge of history regarding the sport of track and field.  Zamperini's name had somehow eluded me, but that's largely due to the fact that he was denied a chance at Olympic glory because of World War II.  Zamperini held the high school record for the mile run for nearly two decades.  He was an Olympian in 1936 at 19.

The war did much more than take away Zamperini's hopes of Olympic gold, but I will leave that story for you to read in Laura Hillenbrand's fabulous book about the pride of Torrence, California.  It's a great read given to me from my wonderful workmates in Sacramento.  Most importantly, the book gives in graphic detail the incredibly high cost of freedom.