Louis Zamperini Summary

The story starts by introducing the main character Louis Zamperini. It starts by telling the reader about his childhood. He is always getting into trouble and always running around. He never stays in the same spot too long. He is stealing food with his older brother and causing mischief. As he grows up, he gets into running competitively and is quite good. He becomes an Olympic runner, one of the best in the world. The story takes place during World War II. Louis is drafted to the military, where he finds himself stranded on a boat with two others. They stay like this until he is captured and held hostage, moving camps often. He has to struggle to stay alive, while he might think death would be better than what he is going through. He pushes through these bad thoughts proving that he is mentally strong, which he learned from always
This also shows once he escapes the camps finally, going into a life of violence and alcohol until he finds religion and is saved. At one of the camps, there is a guard who is especially against him. He gets tormented by this guard more than any others. Whether it is a chore, or just a beating he is always getting into some sort of punishment. He does not want the guards to feel like he has power over him. He always got out of these bad situations when he was a child, and thinks he can get out of this one as well. Louis is a strong individual, both physically and mentally. He tries to joke around to cheer his spirits up. Even though he has some dark thoughts at points, he always pushes through. He is hopeful that he will be released some time and go back to his life. He uses this hope to get him through all his pain. He wants his life back and can not stand these camps anymore. He was always a rebellious person and used this. He thinks this way because he knows deep down it will all get better and he will return to his normal