UNBROKEN BOOK DISCUSSION

Happy Spring, Spirits!  Shout out to Diesel, who took much better notes at this meeting than those to which I have become accustomed. ;) We covered a lot of ground in this meeting, so I'll jump right in.

Though we didn't rate the book until the end of the meeting, I'll lead by noting that this book got rave reviews from all Spirits, which means it was truly remarkable.  It earned 5 stars from Baron, Cat, JB, and Deuce, and 4.5 for the rest of the group.  Also, this book made an ideal book club selection because it was well written and chock full of characters/dilemmas/moral issues to discuss.  As many people in the group noted, truth is stranger than fiction, and this was certainly one of those instances. 

Cat posted an interesting article about the author, Laura Hillenbrand, and her struggle with chronic fatigue syndrome.  We discussed how thoroughly researched the book was and how it was even more of a testament to her passion for Zamperini's story that she conducted most of her research and interviews from her home.  Many of us noted that it was interesting to read about the Pacific theater of World War II.  I, for one, have read very little about it.  So, I think we all learned quite a bit from the book.  One of the most interesting aspects of the book was the exploration of the cultural differences between Japan and America and how those differences were a "perfect storm" that led to the brutality suffered by the POW's.

Of course, we all agreed that this was a difficult read, what with all the starvation, beating, humiliation, and suffering endured by Zamperini and the other POW's.  But these atrocities never seemed gratuitous.  Indeed, the author seemed very even-handed in her treatment of American and Japanese individuals featured in the book, and did not portray all Japanese soldiers as villains or all Americans as heroes.  For example, one of the Japanese guards, at great personal risk, helped the American soldiers and treated them with dignity.  A Japanese pilot spared the life of an American who was helplessly parachuting from his plane, and even saluted him.  On the other hand, Mac was unable to control his impulse to eat the chocolate in his panic following the crash.  

In many places, the book waxed philosophical about the importance of human dignity and optimism to survival.  This was a theme during Zamperini's time on the raft, when his and Phil's optimism contrasted with Mac's helplessness.  At the POW camps, small acts of humanity from Japanese guards or the acts of defiance of the guards by the POW's sustained the dignity of the POW's and gave them the will to live under horrific conditions.  

Much of our discussion centered on The Bird.  The most disturbing thing about The Bird, to me, was his utter lack of remorse for his treatment of the POW's.  Although Zamperini came to forgive The Bird, and was thus finally able to live his life after the war in peace, as a reader, it was hard to come to terms with the fact that The Bird never faced any punishment for his crimes.  We discussed why The Bird was so obsessed with Zamperini, and the consensus view was that Zamperini represented everything that The Bird could never attain.  Zamperini was an Olympic athlete and an officer, and he was respected and liked by his fellow soldiers.  The Bird was none of these.      

We also discussed the part of the book that followed the lives of Zamperini and the other soldiers after the war, and we were amazed by both the physical and mental recovery of Zamperini and others, but of course there were those who were not so lucky.  

Another topic of discussion was the use of the atomic bomb by the Americans to end the war.  The book really made it understandable how the war came to the point, given the mentality of the Japanese that they would fight to the last man, woman, and child.  

Indy opined that this book should be required reading for Americans, and I have to say that I think it's not a bad idea.  I know that I am probably leaving out many thoughtful points and discussion topics because this really was one of our most in depth discussions.  Even given the heavy subject matter, I really enjoyed the discussion!  

Looking forward to seeing everyone and going to see 1984 at Barter Theater in a couple of weeks!  I think this will be another deep, thought-provoking discussion.  Hope everyone had a doubleplusgood Easter!