During this unit, I read the book Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand. It is the story of a boy named Louie Zamperini, a boy who was mischievous during his childhood but later became an Olympic track star and survived a plane crash during WWII, but got captured and tormented by the Japanese. The central idea of the book is that being captured by the Japanese army during WWII was tough for American fliers and POWs (prisoners of war). The theme of the book is that people should take responsibility for their actions, even when it’s life or death.

Notebook central idea page:

Central idea: Being captured by the Japanese army during WWII was tough for American fliers and POWs (prisoners of war).

Evidence: “Beatings were almost constant. Men were beaten for virtually anything.” pg. 149, “The captives weren’t just beaten, they were starved.” pg.149, “Every day, the men were slapped, kicked, beaten, and humiliated.” pg.167, “Each man ate the watery, foul slop alone in his cell. Then they were given knots of wet rope and forced to bend double, put the rope on the floor, and wash the barracks aisle at a run, or sometimes waddling duck-style, while the guards swatted them.” pg. 148, “Outside again, the guards forced the captives to run or perform calisthenics, often until they collapsed… They also had to stand outside, regardless of the weather.” pg, 148-149, “The slightest violation would bring a beating.” pg. 147.

Notebook theme page:

Theme: People should take responsibility for their actions, even when it’s life or death.

Evidence: “He (Louie) tried to do better. He scrubbed the kitchen floor, but Louise assumed Pete had done it.” pg.12