Louis Zamperini also went on to fight in the Pacific air war in WWII. He survived a severe amount of damage on a mission, and later crashed into the Pacific, far from allied forces. Survived for a record amount of time with two other crewmates, one of which didn't make it through this phase of the story. Captured and tortured by the Japanese, returned to the U.S. haunted by his experiences. Found a young Billy Graham and managed to find a route to forgiveness.
Unbroken is an amazing story of an Italian-American growing up in a time when Italians were a new minority, with all the associated baggage and bigotry that new immigrant waves had to deal with in a growing America. The man, Louis Zamperini, went on to become an Olympic athelete, who may have (had not WWII intervened) become the first sub 4-minute miler, competing at the 1936 Olympics (the Jesse Owens - Adolf Hitler Berlin Olympics).
That story, alone, the training, overcoming adversity, travails of hot summers without air conditioning, travel times needed to reach international events; this alone would have been a good book.
I had seen the movie a few years before, but didn't make the initial connection. However, as several scenes were lifted directly from the book to the screen, the images evoked from the book seemed oddly cinematic.
Definitely a good read, and a profile of an amazing life.
