A book that's currently on the bestseller list Unbroken, by Laura Hillenbrand

I could have marked Unbroken under a couple of the other categories on the reading challenge, including a book I'd been meaning to read for while now, and a book recommended by a bunch of people with great taste. However, it was the first bestseller that became available at the library on base, so I chose to go with that.

As far as the book itself goes, it's about an era that I'd actually read quite a bit about. In fact, the majority of my non-fiction reading in the last ten years has been books about World War II. There's something about stories of courage and perseverance in the face of terrible circumstances that I really like, and Unbroken was no different. It was well written, and the author did a nice job of balancing personal stories with historical details, some of which were quite chilling.

The one thing that sets Unbroken apart from most of the other similar books I've read is the ending. Most (if not all) of you reading this entry probably already know that Louis Zamperini ended up becoming a Christian, and that his faith played a large role in his life. Seeing how God turned his life around after the war was probably the most powerful part of the story for me, although seeing God's hand at work preserving him through the war and prison camp was also very cool.

Okay, I realize this wasn't so much a book review as it was me rambling a lot, and I'm sorry about that, but here's the conclusion: Unbroken is a really good book. It isn't always easy to read about the horrible things that happen, but the narrative is woven together well, and though the aspects of Christianity in it were probably over-hyped by the media, it is definitely a powerful story, all the more so because it's a true story.