#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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This book has been my favorite book, ever, since I first read it. It is the best book I have ever read! The book is excellently written, easy to read and just as easy to follow, despite its very complex and multi-faceted story line.
I said, upon finishing first it, that the book could easily be made into several separate and distinct movies, for …
Fantastic unbelievable true story written by an author who took the time to tell his story to perfection!
Great book telling the story of a man growing from ornery childhood to heroic adulthood. It tells about survival of an almost unbelievable struggle in the ocean after surviving a plane crash to just be rescued by the Japanese who put him in a prison camp where he barely survived the mistreatment of a sadistic prison guard. Very interesting book …
Kj
Great book. An amazing true story
Once again, it’s so difficult to imagine a person actually being able to survive what Louie went through. War is awful. The Bird should have been held responsible for his actions. The author writes beautifully, just as she did in Secretariat
Wow, the ability to overcome is amazing.
Well written and engaging biographical account of Californian Louis Zamperini’s heroic determination and drive to survive horrendous circumstances in the Pacific Theater of World War 2. The first part of the book covers the origins of his character as a feisty juvenile delinquent and success in becoming a runner in high school and eventually an …
Fantastic and truly inspirational. I’ve read more about the author and I’ve seen video about his life after the book ended. This man lived a very difficult tragic life. I feel blessed to have been able to know about him during ww2 and after.
The best book I read a few years ago. I taught this to a high school class and they loved it. Everyone should read this book.
A great book. The story is unbelievable but true. It is well written. I did not expect the ending. I strongly recommend it.
A wonderful, disturbing book. It’s one of those books you don’t want to have to read again, but very glad you did.
Amazing story about the true cost of war. I can’t even imagine going through half the things they experience. The author tells the story in an engaging voice that isn’t dry or purely editorial. I read this book when it first was published and took every opportunity to tell people just how incredible this true story was. It became a motion picture …
Very good book
I loved this book, better waaaay better than the movie.
Great book! Very informative, and very historically maintained. Worth reading over and over again. The best of any Pacific world war II book written, in my humble opinion.
One of the best books I have ever read. This man is truly inspirational.
One of the best books I’ve ever read!
Loved this book. Made me appreciate our veterans even more!
I felt the story dragged in parts.