Author: Laura Hillenbrand
One-sentence summary: A miraculous true story of one man’s experiences with running, war, captivity, and redeemed life.
B.A.D. Girls Book Rating: 8
Our favorite thing about it: It is hard not to love the ending to this amazing story.
Our least favorite thing about it: Our only meager complaint might be that the book is really detailed and therefore, quite long.
Main Topics of Discussion: Determination, Redemption/Salvation, War, Hope, Survival, Humanity
Our favorite quote: “Life was cheap in war.”
Notes: We all really enjoyed reading about Louie’s experiences before, during, and after the war. We were blown away by what he had seen and experienced in just his twenties as a soldier and then a POW in Japan. We were also blown away not only by the human ability to inflict suffering on other humans, but also the human ability to endure such suffering and survive. This was a book that we all could not wait to finish to see how it all turned out for Louie.
We discussed how much Louie’s extraordinary determination must have played a part in his survival, coupled with just sheer luck. We could not believe that he survived for more than 5 weeks lost at sea and battling sharks (even a Great White!), only to be captured by the Japanese and held as a POW for years. The time at sea alone is a harrowing tale of survival.
We talked about war a lot. We wondered at the staggering statistics of the WWII aircrafts…that for every one plane and crew lost in battle, 6 were lost in accidents. Unbelievable. Our featured quote (above) captures this sentiment in just 5 words and is so true. We even discussed how this is still true today, despite the fact that we believe we have learned so much from our past wars.
We also discussed how war is ugly for both sides. The Japanese were so cruel to their captured enemies that at times we could not fathom it except that we knew this story to be true. We also thought it strange that they could so easily just walk away from the POWs after the war was won by the Allies even though they had a “kill order” previous to their defeat. We talked about how culture played such a large part in the behavior of the Japanese in this war. They refused to be captured alive and apparently were so ashamed of their defeat, they no longer exerted any of the power they could have still held over the POWs. They could have easily just killed them all at the end of the war.
One last thing about war that we discussed….the fact that war is such an uncivilized thing…why are there/were there rules about the treatment of captives? It seems silly to assume that they would be followed or that any rules apply in war. They were used to prosecute war criminals after the war, but just years later, when the US needed Japan as an ally, those crimes were forgiven in the interest of politics.
As for Louie, we were not at all surprised by his struggles when he returned home. We also talked about what troops returning today have to deal with. We were amazed at Louie’s redemption at the end and his experiences with hearing a young Billy Graham. The fact that Louie’s conversion erased all symptoms of his PTSD is nothing short of amazing, but even more humbling is Louie’s willingness to forgive his greatest tormentor.
Memorable Meeting Moments: We had a great dinner out and then dessert at Lindsay's house. Our annual book and gift exchange. Amberly and Stephanie…we missed you! It’s just not the same without you guys!
What We Ate: Dinner at Brooklyn’s Pizza…slices of pizza, a bottle of wine, and a huge shared salad. Dessert (Chocolate Berry Parfaits) at Lindsay’s house.
One-sentence summary: A miraculous true story of one man’s experiences with running, war, captivity, and redeemed life.
B.A.D. Girls Book Rating: 8
Our favorite thing about it: It is hard not to love the ending to this amazing story.
Our least favorite thing about it: Our only meager complaint might be that the book is really detailed and therefore, quite long.
Main Topics of Discussion: Determination, Redemption/Salvation, War, Hope, Survival, Humanity
Our favorite quote: “Life was cheap in war.”
Notes: We all really enjoyed reading about Louie’s experiences before, during, and after the war. We were blown away by what he had seen and experienced in just his twenties as a soldier and then a POW in Japan. We were also blown away not only by the human ability to inflict suffering on other humans, but also the human ability to endure such suffering and survive. This was a book that we all could not wait to finish to see how it all turned out for Louie.
We discussed how much Louie’s extraordinary determination must have played a part in his survival, coupled with just sheer luck. We could not believe that he survived for more than 5 weeks lost at sea and battling sharks (even a Great White!), only to be captured by the Japanese and held as a POW for years. The time at sea alone is a harrowing tale of survival.
We talked about war a lot. We wondered at the staggering statistics of the WWII aircrafts…that for every one plane and crew lost in battle, 6 were lost in accidents. Unbelievable. Our featured quote (above) captures this sentiment in just 5 words and is so true. We even discussed how this is still true today, despite the fact that we believe we have learned so much from our past wars.
We also discussed how war is ugly for both sides. The Japanese were so cruel to their captured enemies that at times we could not fathom it except that we knew this story to be true. We also thought it strange that they could so easily just walk away from the POWs after the war was won by the Allies even though they had a “kill order” previous to their defeat. We talked about how culture played such a large part in the behavior of the Japanese in this war. They refused to be captured alive and apparently were so ashamed of their defeat, they no longer exerted any of the power they could have still held over the POWs. They could have easily just killed them all at the end of the war.
One last thing about war that we discussed….the fact that war is such an uncivilized thing…why are there/were there rules about the treatment of captives? It seems silly to assume that they would be followed or that any rules apply in war. They were used to prosecute war criminals after the war, but just years later, when the US needed Japan as an ally, those crimes were forgiven in the interest of politics.
As for Louie, we were not at all surprised by his struggles when he returned home. We also talked about what troops returning today have to deal with. We were amazed at Louie’s redemption at the end and his experiences with hearing a young Billy Graham. The fact that Louie’s conversion erased all symptoms of his PTSD is nothing short of amazing, but even more humbling is Louie’s willingness to forgive his greatest tormentor.
Memorable Meeting Moments: We had a great dinner out and then dessert at Lindsay's house. Our annual book and gift exchange. Amberly and Stephanie…we missed you! It’s just not the same without you guys!
What We Ate: Dinner at Brooklyn’s Pizza…slices of pizza, a bottle of wine, and a huge shared salad. Dessert (Chocolate Berry Parfaits) at Lindsay’s house.
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