Unbroken

A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption

By: Laura Hillenbrand

Narrated by: Edward Herrmann

Length: 13 hrs and 56 mins

Publisher's summary

Number-one New York Times best seller

The incredible true story of survival and salvation that is the basis for two major motion pictures: 2014’s Unbroken and the upcoming Unbroken: Path to Redemption.

On a May afternoon in 1943, an Army Air Forces bomber crashed into the Pacific Ocean and disappeared, leaving only a spray of debris and a slick of oil, gasoline, and blood. Then, on the ocean surface, a face appeared. It was that of a young lieutenant, the plane’s bombardier, who was struggling to a life raft and pulling himself aboard. So began one of the most extraordinary odysseys of the Second World War.

The lieutenant’s name was Louis Zamperini. In boyhood, he’d been a cunning and incorrigible delinquent, breaking into houses, brawling, and fleeing his home to ride the rails. As a teenager, he had channeled his defiance into running, discovering a prodigious talent that had carried him to the Berlin Olympics and within sight of the four-minute mile. But when war had come, the athlete had become an airman, embarking on a journey that led to his doomed flight, a tiny raft, and a drift into the unknown.

Ahead of Zamperini lay thousands of miles of open ocean, leaping sharks, a foundering raft, 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.

In her long-awaited book, Laura Hillenbrand writes with the same rich and vivid narrative voice she displayed in Seabiscuit. Telling an unforgettable story of a man’s journey into extremity, Unbroken is a testament to the resilience of the human mind, body, and spirit.

©2010 Laura Hillenbrand; 2010 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"Unbroken is wonderful twice over, for the tale it tells and for the way it’s told. A better book than Seabiscuit, it manages maximum velocity with no loss of subtlety. [Hillenbrand has] a jeweler’s eye for a detail that makes a story live." (Newsweek)

"A master class in narrative storytelling.... Extraordinarily moving...A powerfully drawn survival epic." (The Wall Street Journal)

"Ambitious and powerful.... Hillenbrand is intelligent and restrained, and wise enough to let the story unfold for itself. Her research is thorough, her writing crystalline. Unbroken is gripping in an almost cinematic way." (The New York Times Book Review)

“[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)

“Hillenbrand...tells [this] story with cool elegance but at a thrilling sprinter’s pace.” (Time)

“Unbroken is too much book to hope for: a hellride of a story in the grip of the one writer who can handle it.” (Christopher McDougall, author of Born to Run)

Very exciting but hard story to hear...

I enjoyed the reader and his voice was very good for this story.
The middle of this story is very hard to listen to but so important to know of the power of people and choices they make for both evil and for good. The last few chapters are amazing and show the power of forgiveness and God's grace extended to us. Louie and his many friends and family are examples of courage, respect and dedication. Thank you!

Incredible eye opener.

Loved it. I could write so much about this book but I'm at work. I couldn't help but to feel proud, happy, sad, worried, and at times cry.

An amazing story you won't want to put down.

This story blew my mind. I fell in love with Louie through his story. He is a truly amazing man.

Riveting!

WWII through the eyes of the human beings who served. WWII history has never interested me so much as it does when shared through the lens of biography.

Awesome

Loved it! not everyone thinks about Japanese war camps. I will be reading more about this.

Saw the movie first then read the book. So So good

I saw the movie when it came out and became intrigued. now reading the book it was like a theatrical uncut version playing out in my mind. Goosebumps at every chapter. Highly recommend. and it's narrated beautifully.

Wow!

amazing story. perhaps a little long...but who can diminish a moment of that terrible truth.

As good or better than Seabiscuit

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Riveting story as told by LH. reader was excellent. No need to act this one out.LH

What did you like best about this story?

LH has shown the unique ability to explore every facet of a story and elicit every emotion in the spectrum.

What does Edward Herrmann bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Just an excellent reading job.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No, but it made me think!

Any additional comments?

If you liked Seabiscuit, this book will not disappoint.

Great Book!

This is one of the finest books I have ever read. My knowledge of WWII in the Pacific was but a grain of sand until I read this heartfelt and amazing account of Louis Zamperini. What an incredible story of the uttermost humiliation, degradation and torture to the brightest light of total forgiveness and love. I highly recommend this book to everyone.

Riveting

This book had me on the edge of the seat and in tears the next. I found myself silently cheering Louie and the other POWs on wanting them to not give up. This book gave a wonderful perspective of WW2, and in another area that isn't talked about much in history or novels. I learned so many amazing things, not only historically, but lessons I had never made connections of how important the struggles and survival stories helped improve the methods, and equipment we use in modern day, because of their purpose and necessity. My one struggle with it was a personal one, because my son was called up for deployment when I was in the middle of the climax of the book. It made it even more important for me to make sure I finished it.