A One-Book Break from Mysteries

Every summer, I take a short break from murder and mayhem to read something that I feel I should read: a literary classic, for example, or a best seller that doesn’t include dead bodies. Past selections have included The Great Gatsby, followed by Scott Fitzgerald, a wonderful biography by Andrew Turnbull, and The Sound and the Fury (twice, and with the help of Sparks Notes to help me figure out what the heck was going on.) I also read Jane Austen, though last year I cheated and read Seth Grahame-Smith’s Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. Which did, obviously, include dead bodies: thousands of them, munching on the brains of the inhabitants of normally peaceful Meryton.

This year, my hiatus was spent reading Laura Hillenbrand’s Unbroken (Random House; $27.00). I can probably count on one hand the historical non-fiction books that I’ve ever read. And when I count those that I enjoyed up till now, only one finger is up: Hillenbrand’s Seabiscuit.

Hillenbrand is a brilliant writer, and Unbroken is Seabiscuit's equal. The book tells the story of Olympic runner Louis Zamperini, whose plane was shot down over the Pacific in World War II. He and two crew members drifted on a life raft for 48 days, covering more than 2,000 miles, until they washed up on an atoll in the Marshall Islands. The shark attacks, thirst, hunger, and strafing from Japanese bombers they endured turned out to be a day in the park compared to the degradation and torture they experienced as Japanese prisoners of war.

Hillenbrand’s research is extensive, and is all the more impressive considering her widely-reported health problems. She interviewed Louie, his friends and family, his war buddies, and many of the Japanese guards who played a role in his imprisonment. She was helped by Louie’s pack rat personality. He was able to share with her his extensive scrapbooks, diaries, letters, and memorabilia, including a scrap of a newspaper clipping about his running exploits that survived in his wallet despite a plane crash into an ocean, rafting through a typhoon, and a two-year imprisonment.

Unbroken is a remarkable story, and Hillenbrand’s writing of it was an awe-inspiring feat. The fact that the book could so hold my attention, despite its lack of dialogue, stiffs, and tough-talking cops, bespeaks of her incredible talent.

And now, back to low-brow mysteries for me. Summer vacation is over.