“Unbroken,” the biographical novel centered on the life of Louie Zamperini, was the assigned Langley Read for all students over the summer break. During the school year, students will notice aspects of the novel incorporated into the learning curriculum, as well as the overall environment of the school.
Unlike most required summer reading, “Unbroken” captivated readers, who thoroughly became immersed in the stimulating life of Mr. Zamperini. The book followed his journey from town juvenile delinquent, to Olympic athlete, to heroic plane crash survivor, to tortured POW inmate—the authenticity of it all hooked the Langley audience.
“We’re trying to make the novel present throughout the whole school year. So far, we’ve read the morning announcements with a quote and right now, we’re actually talking about organizing an all-school discussion during Saxon Time this upcoming Friday,” said senior and SAC member Alicia Underhill.
American Literature teacher Ms. Roche is also incorporating “Unbroken” into her lesson plans, preparing to have students pull quotes from the book and connect them to values in modern day society. She is also going to compare themes from “Unbroken” to those of the tragedy of Sep. 11. So far, even though it is only the second day of school, her classes have already been engaged in thoughtful discussions about the novel and are soliciting a mainly positive response towards working with the literary material.