The American religious leader and author Thomas Monson once said, “Good timber does not come with ease. The stronger the wind, the stronger the trees”. In Laura Hillenbrand’s nonfiction book Unbroken, the eager Louis Zamperini put Monson’s words into action when, against all odds, he turned his life around and becoming not only one of the greatest track athletes but also a survivor of Japanese POW camps during World War II. It was Louie’s eagerness to become stronger than he had thought possible that lead Hillenbrand to share his remarkable story.
In the beginning of Hillenbrand's biography Unbroken, Louie showed a substantial amount of eagerness as a young and reckless delinquent. A daring child, Louie always found trouble; stealing food, drinking alcohol, pulling pranks, he did it all. As Louie matures, he began to grow out of his childish acts, and his running career would begin; “Louie hated running, but the
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When Louie does return home, he finds that his eager spirit has not been forgotten: “Three years worth of Christmas and Birthday presents sat ready for opening” (341). Although the Zamperini family was missing Louie from the family Christmas celebrations and Louie's birthday, they always celebrated as if he was there right along with them. At the Deauville club on Miami Beach, Louie would find the love of his life, Cynthia Applewhite: “Louie drank in one long look and, he later told Sylvia, he had the sounding thought he had to marry this girl. Although they seemed frequently happy Louie suffered with a drinking problem hoping it would cure his daily occurring nightmares. Louie was no longer the Louie people would recognize for being the eager hero or runner he was, they would see him as an alcoholic throwing his life away piece by piece. Cynthia did stick by his side and worked to seek him help from a