WEVerb11: Read

For the month of December, I’ll be participating in #WEverb11. Each day gives a new prompt, each of which is a chance to reflect and look forward. 

#13: Read.  What article or book changed your outlook on an issue or life?
Contributed by Melinda [www.palindromeathome.com]

I'm not sure this technically fits as changing my outlook on an issue or life, but I'm going to have to choose Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand.

I've always been interested in WWII and have read tons and tons of non-fiction books on the subject, particularly Pacific Theatre books.  But the different thing about this book was the running aspect.  That was an interesting hook and of course makes you think about the war and the resulting lost opportunities, lives lost and broken, etc. 

I don't want to say too much about it because I hate when people tell me too much about a book I haven't read, but it's the story of a runner who enlists at the start of WWII and ends up as a POW.  Some people avoid reading much nonfiction because they imagine it like a textbook (not to say I don't like textbook type books), but this isn't one.  It's like reading someone's life story, with factual background attached and bits pulled together from related life stories. 

I have been in a book club for nearly a decade.  Mostly female attorneys, with maybe a couple non-lawyers but who are lawyer spouses where we worked with the husband but liked the wife.  Anyway, we each choose the book to read for the month we host, and Unbroken was my pick this year.  They're fairly used to my choosing WWII non-fiction about half the time (books I remember picking are Escape from the Deep (yes, another book about the Tang, but much better than most!, by Kershaw, one of my faves), Ghost Soldiers (one of my fave books of all time), and The Zookeeper's Wife (war in Europe)), but I will say that this one was one of the biggest hits. 

I think reading a lot of history, particularly war books, gives a valuable perspective to thinking about modern values and struggles.  It never fails to shock me how little understanding of history a vast majority of people have.  WWII just happens to be my primary area of interest, though I think I have a long list of secondary areas! 

Unbroken.  My advice:  read it if you haven't.  Highly recommended.  After all, it's my pick of the year, and I read a lot!