Unbroken, by Laura Hillenbrand

Timeline,  Locations and People
Torrance, CA Through 1936	Zamperini Family: Louie Frank – father Louise – mother Pete – brother – 20 months older – graduated high school with 10 varsity letters Virginia – sister Sylvia – sister – married Harvey
1936 – 1940 University of Southern California	James “Jimmie” Saski – imposter, daily trips to Torrance to set up radio transmitter near power station Payton Jordan – college friend
1941 Ephrata, Washington “Super Man” B-24 plane	Russell Allen Phillips – pilot – wore pants with one leg shorter than other, preferred not to speak - Cecy – finance Stanley Pillsbury – top turret gunner Clarence Douglas – engineer Robert Mitchell – navigator and nose gunner Frank Glossman – radioman and belly gunner Ray Lambert – tail gunner Harry  Brooks – radioman and waist gunner George Moznette Jr. – copilot Charleton Hugh Cuppernell – new copilot
1943 “Green Hornet”  B-24	Louie Phil Cuppernell Enlisted man who joined at last minute Frances McNamara – tail gunner – loved sweets
Raft	Louie, Phil and Mac
1943 Kwajalein Island Ofuna – secret interrogation center	Kawamura – Christian Guard Jimmie Sasaki – on Navy ship and at Ofuna Sueharu Kitamura – medical officer – tortured prisoners – aka “The Butcher” and “The Quack” Commanders Arthur Maher and John Fitzgerald – both spoke Japanese William Harris – beaten by “The Quack” Fred Garrett – held in same cell where Louie scratched his name below 9 who died Fred Tinker – dive bomber pilot and opera singer Phil – eventually sent to Ashio
1944 Omori POW Camp	Louie, Frank Tinker 1945 – Bill Harris arrived Mutsuhiro Watanabe – “The Bird”
1945 Naoetsu POW Camp	“The Bird” August 20 – war ended, Americans dropped supplies to prisoners To Okinawa to recuperate
After the war:	Louie married Cynthia Applewhite Children:  Cissy and Luke 1949 –converted to Christianity at Billy Graham crusade 1950 – returned to Japan 1997 – Louie wrote letter forgiving “The Bird” 1/22/1998 – returned to Japan to carry torch for Olympics 2003 – “The Bird” died

For discussion:

NOTE:  All page numbers refer to the hardback edition.

 1.            Discuss Louie’s childhood, particularly his “mischief.”  How did this prepare him for the hardship to come?

 2.            When the Green Hornet crashed, Louie was trapped underwater wrapped in wires from the plane.  How do explain his sudden release and resurfacing?

3.            Discuss the incident where Mac ate all of the chocolate survival food supplies.  Were you surprised that Louie and Phil forgave him?  How did he cope with the knowledge of what he did?

4.            Who do you think Jimmie Sasaki really was?   Should suspicions have been raised earlier about his identity?

5.            Consider the relationship between “The Bird” and Louie.  Why did The Bird focus on Louie? 

6.            How can you explain all of the guards’ evil and cruel behavior toward the POWs?  According to The Bird, they were taught that the POWs had surrendered which was a shameful thing in Japan and so they only deserved to be treated as they were.  Also he stated that he, “...had a good heart, but Japan at that time had a bad heart.  In normal times I never would have done such things.”  (page 393)  (see also page 195)

7.            How were the POWs able to survive?

a.            Loss of dignity – dignity is very important to the Japanese culture.  The author stated, “This is likely one of the reasons why Japanese soldiers in World War II debased their prisoners with such zeal, seeking to take from them that which was most painful and destructive to lose.” (page 183)

b.            The triumph of subversion – the POWs did all they could to defy the guards without their knowledge. (see page 204)

8.            Discuss the experiences of the other soldiers:

                a.            Bill Harris – He chose to stay in the military and then disappeared in Korea.  What do you think happened to him?  Is there a connection to his experiences in WW II?

                b.            Russell Allen Phillips

                                1.) Why did he wear one pant leg shorter than the other?

                2.) It stated early in the book that he preferred not to speak.  How did this affect him later in life?

                3.) How did he handle Louie getting all of the attention when he lived through the same experiences?

9.            Consider the experiences of those at home, not knowing the fate of their loved ones for years.  How did they cope?  Are we as strong today?

10.          Discuss your reading experience.  How did you feel reading this book – entertained, sad, angry?
*****
First Semester Success: Learning Strategies and Motivation for Your First Semester (or Any Semester) of College, by Dr. Arden B. Hamer, is available at wordassociation.com, amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com.  Click on link on upper right to go to Amazon page.