Analysis Hillenbrand uses this chapter to show three things. First, even as a child, Louie Zamperini possessed the ingenuity and stubbornness that he will later need to survive the extreme circumstances in his life. Second, although mildly incorrigible as a child, Louie was well-liked and even admired by his family […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Part I Chapter 1: The One-Boy InsurgencySummary and Analysis Prelude
Analysis This preface is only a teaser and can be easily ignored. It’s an authorial “cliffhanger” device meant to pique the interest of readers with an exciting glimpse of what’s to come later in the book.
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Russell Allen “Phil” Phillips The pilot on Louie’s bomber crew in WWII and one of Louie’s best friends in the army, Phil was captured with Louie by Japanese forces and enslaved in POW camps. He was liberated at the war’s end and returned to America, where he married Cecile “Cecy” […]
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Seeing Louie’s talent for running away after a crime, Pete forced Louie to join the track-and-field team at school. Louie excelled and soon gave up his delinquent exploits in favor of running circles around a track. Nicknamed the “Torrance Tornado,” he became a high school phenomenon and eventually earned a […]
Read more Book SummaryAt a Glance
The son of Italian immigrants, Louie Zamperini grew up in Torrance, California, where he overcame a delinquent childhood to become a rising star in track-and-field. After performing admirably in the 1936 Olympics in Germany, Louie joined the Army Air Corps of the United States and became a bombardier in WWII. […]
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