So everyone and their dog has recommended this book to me. I finally read it... It's fantastic thinking of what the human spirit can overcome. I have to admit, I would have taken a lot longer through the raft scene and the POW scenes if I didn't already know what was going to happen. Brandon told me pretty much all the details of the story beforehand.
To be honest, I don't blame him for turning into an alcoholic. Who could? He had been through so much, and almost died on a constant basis for years, that he needed any kind of escape he could find. At one point, he discussed how there are certain things necessary to life. Food, water, shelter, and dignity. These prison guards were so unbelievably cruel, it's hard to imagine people actually being able to live through that. I laughed when they discussed the things they would do to retaliate against the guards... on the one hand it's a "boys will be boys" kind of mentality, but they really needed to survive. Any way possible.
The most amazing thing (SPOILER ALERT- skip this paragraph if you haven't read the book and want to) is that Zamperini forgave his prison guards. That is much more than I could have done. He even sought out the most cruel of guards who haunted him in his dreams, and tried to forgive him. What a man.
This movie comes out later this year, and I will be watching it. Hopefully it won't gross me out too much. It was pretty hard to stomach.
