'Unbroken' by Laura Hillenbrand

Unbroken, by Laura Hillenbrand (4.5)

‘Unbroken’ not only got a unanimous thumbs-up from our little book club, but it also inspired one of our longest and pithiest conversations that included a personal story of an uncle who was also a POW in Japan (thanks to Diane for sharing her touching story). Laura Hillenbrand once again brings a true story alive with her telling of the life of Louie Zamperini, an Olympic runner who becomes a POW in Japan during WWII. While living a harrowing life, Louie manages to exude optimism and a joie de vive through all the worst times. Ms. Hillenbrand shows conclusively that Louie’s unbelievable survival is largely due to his unique attitude and tenacity. His story starts as a child in Torrance, it then takes us through his unlikely Olympic career, and his WWII experiences, including being stranded at sea and surviving multiple Japanese POW camps. Knowing he survives (and is still alive today) from the beginning of the book makes reading the difficult scenes slightly easier, though page after page you cannot believe he will actually survive! We all agreed that Louie’s story brought to life elements of the war that we were aware of, but were still shocking. The two biggest were the poor conditions of the planes and subsequent accidental deaths, and the brutal treatment of the POWs from their captors. A great story of survival and triumph as told by a riveting storyteller has earned this book a 4.5.

'Robopocalypse' by Daniel H. WIlson

For some reason, I have the hardest time with pronouncing the name of this book!

Robopocalypse, Daniel H. Wilson (3)

This singularity Sci-Fi book was not unique enough to warrant a higher rating, but that being said, it was a fast-paced, enjoyable read.  If anything, I wish it were longer, with more pith added to some of the ideas.  It reminded me a bit of ‘Starship Troopers’ mixed with ‘The Terminator’ (without time travel).  It follows various groups through the event (i.e. zero hour) when a computer/robot becomes sentient and turns it and other robots against humans.  There are some basic ‘what makes us human’ quandaries and some interesting concepts on both sides of the battle. Overall, it is about a battle, but could have included more of many things to round it out. I should also note that some people might not enjoy the writing style – each chapter is written as a look back from various characters’ memory. I found the flow worked, but some might find it hard to follow and a bit disconnected.

'Room' by Emma Donoghue

Room, Emma Donoghue (1)

This book review was one of the hardest I’ve had to do thus far in the blog.  I had seen numerous accolades for the book and it continues to get strong critiques.  The problem is that the subject matter is so difficult to read, not only did I almost stop, I cannot think of a single person to whom I would recommend it.  The writing is good, the author has done several unique things to make the subject a tad easier – but in the end of the day, it is still a book about a woman who is kidnapped, held hostage, raped repeatedly and has a child by her captor.  The 5-year-old child, Jack, narrates the book. All he knows, his whole world, is ‘Room’, which is an 11x11 foot prison.  Its contents are his only friends (Duvet, Rug, Wardrobe). The book is told in 3 main parts.  The first part is frightening (as you begin to realize was actually has occurred, since Jack does not know), the second is very dramatic and the third is more about the psychology, which is very interesting.  I would like Val to read this so we could discuss the third section, but I could never ask a mother to read this – it is just too horrific to imagine and the intimacy of Jack’s voice brings it all in too close. It somehow makes the book more disturbing than a traditional murder mystery.  I believe the book deserves a ‘4’ for the quality of the writing and uniqueness of the story, but I have to give it a ‘1’ as a warning to any who may read it – it is very disturbing.