#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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Awesome book and true story. I cringed at some of the happenings in the prisoner of war camp and how cruel the captors were. Once released, the heartbreak continues, but to a positive and strong reward. I recommend this book highly.
This book was very difficult to read and knowing that it was a true story added to the difficulty. What this man endured is incredible and that he survived is miraculous. Unbelievable.
This was a WWII story I had never heard about, and I’m so glad it because a best-seller and word got out about the hero of the tale. Absolutely worth your time, though in places it is difficult (very realistic about torture, escapes, etc.).
My father shared many of the same experiences as Zamborini, having been captured on Corregidor in the early months of the war. He survived 3-1/2 years of POW camps in the Philippines and Japan. He read “Unbroken” shortly before he passed away at age 91. His main comment was “over-dramatized, but essentially true”. I would also recommend “Death …
This is a story of not one person, but every POWs’ story, and how they relied upon one another for survival. Digesting the tragedy and heinous behavior our Pacific POWs endured was mentally difficult. It also reaffirmed that setting aside Habeas Corpus, in time of war, is an understandable act for the country’s preservation, as seen with Sasaki …
Unbroken is an amazing story of the resiliency of the human spirit and will to live. Louis Zampirini was participating in a search and rescue mission when a mechanical malfunction caused the aircraft to crash into the ocean. Zampirini and 2 other crew mates survived the crash (one later died before the rafts landed on one of the Marshall …
Unbroken is a story of survival while enduring mental, physical and emotional torture. An amazing story of fortitude, resiliency and persistence. Based on true events and made into a movie. Not easy to read, but worth it.
This is a harrowing story that traces most of a life story of a US serviceman who becomes a prisoner of war in Japan. Well written but it does not tell the heartwarming story of how are hero, after being rescued from Japan, had many personal problems and was rescued again by Billy Graham.
Excellent true-life work. An amazing story.
Wonderfully written, I couldn’t put it down.
Fantastic story and an incredible true story of courage.
Good story fine writing
This is a true story and also a movie Book is realistic and tragic.
The kind of reading I like. Circumstances from real life.
The human spirit is called upon to survive at all costs
It’s been a while since I read this book but highly recommend it if you enjoy WWII history.
2/19/21 – One of the best books I’ve ever read. It’s difficult to read and believe this actually happened to someone. Louie’s story is inspiring, especially learning everything he overcame both during and post-war. The story is written really well, and the story is unbelievable. I highly recommend for anyone remotely interested in WW2.
Amazing story of survival.
An excellent book that stays with you. Based on a true story about WWII and the Japanese prison camps. Worth reading!
I ran track in college and was first drawn to this because of his running but the book became so much more than that! I recommend this to everyone!