#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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How a man survives WWII. Very good book.
Flat-out astonishing lots-of-bad-luck some-good-luck story of a man with the truest grit imaginable. No need to hear me blab about it–just read the book itself and enjoy it firsthand.
Very well written, I love books based on real life.
This book was made into a movie, though the book was much better. War is truly ugly and often changes the lives of those involved forever.
This book was skillfully written and at times hard to read but even harder to put down. Great incite into the unbelievable things one person can do to another, and the spirit that resides with in people to …
Great story.
This book was so well written and kept me wanting more. Lou Zamperini was an amazing person, and I’m so glad I got to see interviews with him before he passed. It’s a shame that the movie is not as inspirational as the book was; they spent too much time on the agony of the prison camp.
I loved this book about a true American Hero! You won’t be able to put it down and you’ll never forget it or the horrors of war!!!
No book has ever stuck with me the way, “Unbroken” has!
Such a good story.
Another part of history skipped in the text books brought to life by a wonderful author. Thanks for introducing us to the hero Louie Zamperini and telling his fascinating and inspiring story.
A great read about a true hero
Unbelievable but a true story of one mans survival. Just when you think he can’t survive he makes it
My father was a Japanese POW and I cried more than once thinking of what cruelty my father endured. Reading this man’s story helped me understand the demons that haunted my father.
Reminded me of a friend who was also a pow
Truly an amazing story of the life of hero, Louie Zamporini!
True story. Must read.
Excellent true story of perseverance in great adversity and redemption after giving into despair
I loved this book. It gives a lot of insight into WW11 and what it was like to be a prisoner in Japan. What we did to American Japanese was terrible, but what Japan did to prisoners was worse. The story also told of the bravery of America soldiers.
Great book
Absolutely the best book I have ever read.