Vocabulary in Unbroken

A rebellion or organized resistance against authority; here used to describe a young person's habitual rule-breaking and defiance of social norms.

A person, especially a child, who stays away from school without permission or good reason.

So set in bad habits that no punishment or correction can change the behavior; hopelessly unruly.

A young person who repeatedly breaks rules or laws; a juvenile offender.

A young person training to become a military officer, especially in an organized program connected to a school or branch of the armed forces.

The crew member on a military aircraft responsible for aiming and releasing bombs during a mission.

A highly classified optical device used by U.S. Army Air Forces bombers in World War II to calculate the precise moment to release bombs for accuracy.

Making an emergency landing of an aircraft on water, deliberately crashing into the sea to avoid a worse fate.

Slang term for an inflatable life jacket worn by airmen; named for its resemblance to the actress's famously full figure when inflated.

A flat, inflatable rubber boat used as emergency survival equipment by airmen who crash-landed at sea.

Attacking ground or sea-level targets from low-flying aircraft using machine-gun fire; here used when enemy planes shoot at survivors in the water or on rafts.

A large seabird of the open ocean; in this text encountered literally by castaways adrift at sea, who attempt to catch it for food.

A dangerous condition caused by the body losing more water than it takes in, leading to weakness, confusion, and potentially death — a constant threat for men adrift at sea without fresh water.

Abbreviation for Prisoner of War; a member of the armed forces captured and held by the enemy during wartime.

Having a strong, very unpleasant smell caused by decay or filth; used to describe the foul conditions inside prison camps.

A serious intestinal infection causing severe diarrhea, often with blood, common in overcrowded or unsanitary conditions such as prisoner-of-war camps.

Japanese word for toilet or latrine, used in the text to refer to the primitive waste facilities in Japanese prison camps.

The nickname given by prisoners to a particularly brutal Japanese guard known for sadistic and unpredictable violence against POWs.

Information, often misleading or one-sided, spread by a government or organization to influence public opinion; here, radio broadcasts the Japanese forced POWs to make.

Used metaphorically in the title of Part Five to suggest something that comes back — here, the lasting psychological and emotional trauma that returns to haunt survivors after the war.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder; a psychological condition triggered by experiencing or witnessing terrifying events, causing flashbacks, nightmares, and severe anxiety — though this clinical term was not used during WWII.

Relating to a religious movement or meeting intended to reawaken strong Christian faith in people; here describing the evangelical crusades that helped the protagonist find spiritual recovery.