#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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Great american
Hillebrand captures well the unbelievable personal story of a WWII veteran sot down over the Pacific. While non-fiction, Hillebrand has a knack for bring the true life story alive! I’d add historical story to what I liked!
You won’t be able to put down this book! It is a heroic tale of a very human person who overcame tremendous obstacles in his quest to change the world, and himself!
Great book with a great character who has an amazing ability to see things through and see himself as larger than life
Celebrates the triumph of one remarkable individual’s spirit in the face of incomprehensible violence, abuse, deprivation. Haunting and inspiring.
One of the best books I’ve ever read that brings the story of an incredible human being front and center. She is a fabulous writer!
A perfect book. Fear, hope, hurt, redemption all in one book.
One of the greatest books of all time.
One of my favorites! Author endured incredible hardships to not only survive but to inspire so many others!
It’s hard to believe a person can live through so many tragedies. The story is beautifully told even if hard to read at times. Compelling and challenging to read at the same time.
well written reminder of our amazing capacity for resilience
A must read for anyone interested in WWII and the men who served so valiantly.
I loved the book and was blown away by the courage, power and sheer will of this remarkable man.
The book focuses on one particular man, with an interesting and lengthy background about his growing up. Most of the book, however, is a painful description of how this man and his friend experience World War II. Captured by the Japanese and held as a POW, his suffering is on a par with Holocaust victims on the Western Front.
This story has become fairly well-known since the book and the movie have been around for a while. I sometimes asked myself what compelled me to keep reading about such cruelty; I decided it was the contrasting tale of such incredible strength and the determination to survive is so inspirational. It would be a good book club read for people who …
I love anything by Laura Hillenbrand!
Wont disappoint
This is one of that genre of books that takes you right into the suffering of people in extremis and how they overcome their tribulations. Adrift at sea with little sustenance in the tropics under the pitiless rays of the sun, you can almost feel your skin start to burn and you mouth dry up. Very well written.
Unbroken was a true page turner for me. Louie Zamperini was really neat character that was forced into an uncommon crash in the Pacific. His tail is harrowing.
A very difficult book. Hard to read and hard to hear that he wouldnt go through it again if he had they choice— would rather die.