#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE • Look for special features inside. Join the Random House Reader’s Circle for author chats and more.In boyhood, Louis Zamperini was an incorrigible delinquent. As a teenager, he channeled his defiance into running, discovering a prodigious talent that had carried him to the Berlin Olympics. But when World War II began, the athlete became … World War II began, the athlete became an airman, embarking on a journey that led to a doomed flight on a May afternoon in 1943. When his Army Air Forces bomber crashed into the Pacific Ocean, against all odds, Zamperini survived, adrift on a foundering life raft. Ahead of Zamperini lay thousands of miles of open ocean, leaping sharks, thirst and starvation, enemy aircraft, and, beyond, a trial even greater. Driven to the limits of endurance, Zamperini would answer desperation with ingenuity; suffering with hope, resolve, and humor; brutality with rebellion. His fate, whether triumph or tragedy, would be suspended on the fraying wire of his will.
Unbroken is an unforgettable testament to the resilience of the human mind, body, and spirit, brought vividly to life by Seabiscuit author Laura Hillenbrand.
Hailed as the top nonfiction book of the year by Time magazine • Winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for biography and the Indies Choice Adult Nonfiction Book of the Year award
“Extraordinarily moving . . . a powerfully drawn survival epic.”—The Wall Street Journal
“[A] one-in-a-billion story . . . designed to wrench from self-respecting critics all the blurby adjectives we normally try to avoid: It is amazing, unforgettable, gripping, harrowing, chilling, and inspiring.”—New York
“Staggering . . . mesmerizing . . . Hillenbrand’s writing is so ferociously cinematic, the events she describes so incredible, you don’t dare take your eyes off the page.”—People
“A meticulous, soaring and beautifully written account of an extraordinary life.”—The Washington Post
“Ambitious and powerful . . . a startling narrative and an inspirational book.”—The New York Times Book Review
“Magnificent . . . incredible . . . [Hillenbrand] has crafted another masterful blend of sports, history and overcoming terrific odds; this is biography taken to the nth degree, a chronicle of a remarkable life lived through extraordinary times.”—The Dallas Morning News
“An astonishing testament to the superhuman power of tenacity.”—Entertainment Weekly
“A tale of triumph and redemption . . . astonishingly detailed.”—O: The Oprah Magazine
“[A] masterfully told true story . . . nothing less than a marvel.”—Washingtonian
“[Hillenbrand tells this] story with cool elegance but at a thrilling sprinter’s pace.”—Time
“Hillenbrand [is] one of our best writers of narrative history. You don’t have to be a sports fan or a war-history buff to devour this book—you just have to love great storytelling.”—Rebecca Skloot, author of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
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Unbroken is one of the very best books I have ever read!!! The story is true and amazing. It is well written and almost impossible to put down. I strongly recommend it.
Very well written of a seriously tragic life and wartime experience.
Loved this book!
Good book, but not nearly as good as “Seabiscuit” !!
Riveting.
My dad served on the Pacific front during WWII so this true story helped me understand some of what men of that generation endured for our freedom.
Great read. Main character was at 1938 Olympics along with the Boys in the Boat.
It is a true story of WW2.
The detail and account of events are astounding. Highly recommended.
slow moving, dragged out.
fantastic read liked it because it is based on a real story
This book is an all time fave — unforgetable. A powerful story if redemption… my father-in-law was in same POW camp for two years BEFORE Zamperini arrived. Zamperini told my husband that his father saved his life. This book helped my husband understand his father better… but, the power of redemption is most significant part of story.
True story! Wonderful story! Highly recommend it and the sequel movie, Unbroken: Path to Redemption.
Unrealistic
Great survival story with historical references.
Hard to read at times, but very engaging.
This is the inspirational story of Louis Zamperini and is a book well worth reading. There are places it is hard to get through when it relates his experiences in a Japanese WWII POW camp but it is worth doing so.
This was a World War II Survival story of members of the crew of an American bomber caught up in the craziness after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. The main “character” who really was a real person, Louis Zamperini, who was described by the author as an incorrigible delinquent as a teen. Before America’s involvement in the war, Louis made a name …
Non fiction story of one man’s triumph over impossible odds during WWII in order to survive in a Japanese POW camp.
A truly amazing life!