#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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Amazing book. Unforgettable.
Laura Hillenbrand is my favorite contemporary author. Unbroken is well researched, then written to keep you engaged in this page turner story of it’s brave hero.
Anyone who really wants to survive within their means can
WW II story – suffering, heroism, torture, great read if you can deal with the suffering and torture. Good writing great descriptions.
Must read
One of the best books that I have ever read.
Just another example of what the members of “The Greatest Generation” went through to earn the title. This book shows what is possible when you put your mind to it. It tells the story of a person who survived hardships throughout his life, some small, some major, and kept pushing on, never giving up. It shows what can be accomplished when you …
Memorable book Incredible story of survival
A Favorite!
An amazing story told by a skilled storyteller…completely absorbing.
I’m sure incredible is the adjective most often employed to try to describe this man’s history. It is not enough of a word.
Wow! What a great true story.
I could not put this book down! Even when it was hard to read through all the tragedy that Lou went through it was still impossible to stop. His will and determination are stuff legends are made of. Everyone should read this book…the movie (although good) does not do it near enough justice. READ IT!!
Amazing book! I was taken aback by the amazing story of one person who seems to have done it all… and then some.
Learned a lot about WWII the Pacific– very well written
Heroic character, author great storyteller. Loved it
It’s a story of will, persistence, and salvation. Louis Zamborini is a remarkable person.
Too depressing!!
I would not call this book entertaining, but I could not put it down. The story is true, the details real. I cannot imagine surviving months in the ocean, watching another survivor die a slow, agonizing death, finding land and ending up in a Japanese prison camp with far worse to come.
This is the best book I have ever read! If you ever want to read a true story about a most courageous man, read this book. The holocaust was terrible, but this story tells you another great tragedy of WW II.