Maggie's Farm

We are a commune of inquiring, skeptical, politically centrist, capitalist, anglophile, traditionalist New England Yankee humans, humanoids, and animals with many interests beyond and above politics. Each of us has had a high-school education (or GED), but all had ADD so didn't pay attention very well, especially the dogs. Each one of us does "try my best to be just like I am," and none of us enjoys working for others, including for Maggie, from whom we receive neither a nickel nor a dime. Freedom from nags, cranks, government, do-gooders, control-freaks and idiots is all that we ask for.

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Thursday, January 12. 2012

Unbroken: Louis Zamperini

Seems like everybody I run into has already read this book: Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption.


I am just finishing it. One hell of a tale - and I do mean hell. The xenophobia and racism of the Japanese is well-known, but the book will give one a harrowing picture of it.


Mentioned to my father-in-law that I was reading it, and he told me he saw Zamperini run in Madison Square Garden. We young'uns don't realize that Track and Field used to be perhaps the most popular sport in America.


Pic is Louie Zamperini carrying the Olympic Torch in 1984.

Posted by Bird Dog in Our Essays, The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation at 12:20 | Comments (6) | Trackbacks (0)

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Read it over the summer. It was so good, I gave it to my sons to read.

One of them actually did read it.

It is inspiring, and it's an amazing love story, if you only read the part about his post war experience. His life forced me to rethink how I live my own.

It's doubtful any of us will have to undergo the deprivations and tortures he went through unwillingly, in POW camp, or willingly, as a long distance runner. But certainly what he put himself through on the track opened doors to strength he didn't know he had and made this available to him while at sea, and while in prison camp.
#1 Bulldog on 2012-01-12 14:05 (Reply)
MY history buff husband just bought this last weekend. Maybe I'll pick it up and read some bits .......
#2 D on 2012-01-12 14:08 (Reply)
OK, you've convinced me to give it another shot. I got as far as the Berlin Olympics and found it slow, so I quit. But I'll try again.
#3 the gold digger (Link) on 2012-01-12 15:39 (Reply)
It was kind've slow up to that point. Definitely gets more interesting afterward. Though the Olympics themselves were very intriguing.
#3.1 Bulldog on 2012-01-12 16:39 (Reply)
Ummm, xenophobia, eh?
#4 BlogDog on 2012-01-12 17:24 (Reply)
It was a great book and a good reminder to us as a nation!

I did not know some of the history in it, especially the part about how perilous it was to be a pilot in those days.
#5 Deb on 2012-01-13 08:46 (Reply)

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