In 2003 Louis Zamperini co-authored his own autobiography "Devil at My Heels" of his survival experiences including his drifting for 6 weeks in the Pacific and then in surviving the two most inhumane POW camps in all of Japan. I only mention the existence of the autobiography for those that "prefer when people tell their own stories in their own way".

During much of the time Zamperini was a POW, he was classified as an "unregistered POW". I don't think either "Unbroken" or the "Devil at My Heels" adequately described what that really meant at Ofuna and Omori POW camps. The Japanese knew that they could do anything they pleased with the unregistered POWs since it was assumed in the USA they were dead. The unregistered POWs were kept segregated from the registered POWs. Some unregistered high value POW's were kept with heavy canvas sacks over their heads for months, even during their daily beatings. Neither book addresses this. Anytime the Japanese needed to pick a group of POW's to execute (generally by slicing their heads off) or worse, the unregistered POWs were the go-to guys. Zamperini was fortunate that at some point during his captivity he was added to the list of registered POWs (for propaganda purposes).

What mostly caught my attention about Unbroken having been on the Best Seller List for (now) 60 straight weeks (mostly at #1)? It's that there's obviously an astounding number of people who have previously shown no interest in survival or in being prepared, who are now buying and devouring this book in vast quantities and in discussing and writing about this book like no other.

UPDATE: On January 3, 2012 Universal Pictures announced that it "has acquired screen rights to Laura Hillenbrand’s bestselling new book Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption. The studio is in talks with Francis Lawrence to direct." Other excerpts: "The studio that rode Hillenbrand’s book Seabiscuit into the winner’s circle as a film now hopes she’ll work the same magic on the story of the unbreakable spirit of Louis Zamperini, a former Olympic track prodigy who endured unimaginable hardship as a WWII POW." "Universal bought Zamperini’s life rights way back in 1957 along with his memoir, Devil at My Heels." "Hillenbrand has done far more than bring a great title to the table." "Her book and research will become the cornerstone for the film."

I think that those POWs that survived the camps along with Zamperini and those that didn't would be gratified to know that Zamperini's story, their story, has finally been told in the proper perspective and in such a remarkably accurate way.