#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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I highly recommend.
Eye-opening WWII novel
I read it several years ago. I still remember a lot of the details. Very inspirational.
Inspiring and well-written. Better than the movie.
The subject matter is not the easiest to read, but a very well written book.
It is a true story and very inspirational when you do finally get to the end through some very difficult parts.
This book was so well researched and written exceptionally well. Based on a true life experience, the book is heartbreaking and transforming. I highly recommend this book.
Where to begin? This is a story worth sharing with everyone.
I sincerely believe this book should be required reading for every senior high school student in the United States. It is the revelation of war’s unspeakable horrors and of the hero that lives inside a miscreant young boy who was but one of thousands who suffered unspeakable atrocities for our liberties. The story relates how “Louie” Zamperini …
Changed my entire weekend around to finish it, as i could not put this book down once i started
Excellent historical, true story from WW2. The book was much better than the movie
Incredible history of an incredible spirit. I felt many times light I was right along Louie.
A great book about an amazing man with great courage! I highly recommend this book so you can understand put the courage on the American soldier to protect his homeland. I had the pleasure of seeing hm interviewed shortly before before his death. It was shortly before the movie about his life came out.
One of the best books I have ever read!
Another inspirational true story.
Fantastic book!
I loved this book. It’s amazing what the human psyche can endure when there is a purpose.
Excellent!
Fabulous true life report on an extraordinary person who lives through a dreadful experience which may have changed the intended course of his life. Well written and engrossing. This book is at the top of my lists
Suitable heroic story of an incredibly tough and resilient character that will especially fascinate and absorb adolescent and high school readers.
Writing style oversimplified for mature adult readers, even in the “adult” version.
Well written of an exceptional man. !!