"How does Hillenbrand weave historical content into the novel and to what effect?"

Unbroken, a work of nonfiction, is not a novel. It is primarily a biography focusing on Louis (Louie) Zamperini’s experiences as a prisoner of war. The book has been criticized, however, for taking too many liberties with the facts, and even as venturing into fiction territory. As the book is mainly about World War II, the overall context and specific events are well presented, and generally support the author’s explanations and much of Zamperini’s personal story. The interspersing of the historical and personal material is sometimes uneven, so that the reader may lose track either of Louie’s story or of what was happening in the world—events of which he, of course, was often ignorant.
Most of the book is set in the 1930s-1940s, before, during and after World War II. The early portions deal with his younger years, growing up and discovering running during the Great Depression. The book primarily explores Zamperini’s experiences as a soldier and prisoner of war. Louie’s ongoing trauma and later struggles, including alcoholism and recovery, are also recounted.
Because Louie’s story is primarily set within the war, Hillenbrand provides a large amount of historical context within which the reader can better understand his experiences. In this regard, the sections about the causes of the war; U.S. involvement, especially in the Pacific Theater; and the experiences of prisoners held by the Japanese are especially important. She successfully weaves together this information and Louie’s personal story. While Louie’s youth is contextualized with information about the Depression, that social situation plays second fiddle to his personal redemption through running.
By the 1930s, Zamperini had become a world-famous runner and competed for the U.S. at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. While serving in World War II as an Air Force pilot, his plane crashed in the Pacific and the surviving crew members drifted for six weeks. Their ordeal did not end when they were picked up, however, because their “rescuers” were Japanese soldiers.
Much of the narrative concerns Louie’s horrific two-year imprisonment in a prisoner-of-war camp on Execution Island. He endured torture during the Japanese efforts to extract information about military matters. Subsequently moved to two other campus, he and many other Americans remained imprisoned until after the war ended in August 1945.
The discussion of the post-war years, including Louie’s marriage and difficulties in recovery, offers less historical context. In that regard, the idea of society shaping the individual is not well matched to the presentation of the pre-war years. Overall, what emerges is the idea that World War II was an unmatched era in world history, and that its effects far outweigh those of other eras.