Eddie Pan’s Reviews > Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption > Status Update

As Louie and Phil drift hopelessly on, they finally spot a cluster of islands. I was very happy when i read this, for they had been lost at sea for over 40 days! I was glad that their long journey to civilization seemed over, but of course, a typhoon hits them right as they approach the islands. They luckily survive the typhoon, but then realize afterwards that the islands are controlled by the Japanese.

The chance for survival keeps on decreasing hopelessly. I fear for Louie and Phil's lives. The third member of the raft, Mac, has passed away. I believe the greatest threat to the raft is the constant threat of sharks that attack the raft, hoping to get lucky with a human morsel. Even Louie, the most optimistic of the raft, begins to think that he will die on there. The only thing that can save them now is luck.

Hope begins to dwindle for the 3 men on the raft as the possibility of not being rescued sets in. However, Louie's optimism raises when he spies a bomber, only to realize shortly after that it is the Japanese. The bomber fires at the raft, making it almost sink. Louie smartly uses a broken mirror to cut into the raft's side and glue the holes caused by the bullets. With each day, Louie grows hopelessly weaker.

Life on the raft for Louie, Mac, and Phil is horrible as expected. I could almost feel their desperation when a search crew plane flew over them but didn't spot them. Afterwards Louie intelligently starts quizzing the rest of the members on the raft on every subject he can think of in order to stay sane. Louie is definitely the "leader" of the raft and tries his best to stay enthusiastic in their horrible situation.

On a mission to Palmyra, Louie's plane malfunctions and crashes into the sea. The survivors, including an injured Phil and a new sergeant, Mac, seem to lose all hope. Louie quickly takes up a position as a leader and divides chocolate and wate into rations, but an unstable Mac sneakily eats all of it when everyone is asleep. Having seen the movie already, I'm excited to compare the differences between book and movie!

After finally landing after the fighting at Nairu, I thought Louie would finally get rest. Little did I know that I would get to see Louie face adversity again. Louie repeatedly acts accordingly during times of trouble, helping the injured and watching out for his friends. Several days later, Louie tries out running the mile on sand and clocked at an amazing 4:12! Louie's actions and behavior continue to impress me.

Hillenbrand's description of Louie and his crew's battle at Nairu generated many visual and vivid images in my head. Nairu, plentiful with phosphate, was quickly taken over by the Japanese during WW2. On the way back from Nairu, I was greatly impressed by Louie's many courageous actions, such as treating his crewmen for injuries while being followed by several Japanese attackers and being selfless in. general.

The fatality rate among US air men during WW2 shocked me greatly. Most of the fatalities came not from enemy attack, but from engine problems and faulty parts in the plane. The B-24 was incredibly unstable, and Louie even wrote down in his diary 10 large issues with his plane that could be life threatening. I can strongly relate with Louie's fear of being stranded and lost on the ocean, it is one of my fears as well.

I loved the scene where Louie and his crew aboard the Super Man (a B-24 plane) bomb Wake Atoll. The author does a great job of describing the nervousness and tension among the crewmen when they are on their way to Wake. The Japanese completely fell for the surprise attack, and the best part is that none of the 98 American POW on Wake were hurt. "Unbroken" continues to draw me in with each chapter!

What I found most interesting in the section that I read was what Louie and his squadron did in their free time. Louie was known as the prankster of his group, and even one time replaced his gum that his squadron members often stole with laxatives! I was surprised by Louie's lightheartedness, especially because he is on the brink of fighting in a war. I'm very excited to read on about Louie's journey in the AirCorps