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)

Amazing book!!!

I saw the movie before the book. I knew the whole story, and I was still on the edge of my seat. Great book!!!

Great and captivating story.

Wonderful and captivating- difficult to stop reading. Would highly recommend for those that love history and for those that are just looking for a great stroy.

Unbroken-----An amazing story.

This was an amazing book. Purely a joy to read. This story is probably one of my all-time favorite books ever.

Outstanding book!

Amazing story of our greatest generation. The resilience these men had is incredible. Absolutely heartbreaking to learn the atrocities they suffered through at the hands of the Japanese.

Horrible scars & God's healing!

The story was very compelling.
There were many astonishing events.!
Some descriptions were to horrific to endure and needed to be passed over.
The final years of Louis showed a wonderful enduring transformed spirit.

Incredible story!

What did you love best about Unbroken?

Simply the best audio book I've ever heard. Really makes you think about how thankful one should be about just the basic things in life!

Thoroughly enjoyed!

Although this is a heartbreaking tale, it was an amazing, thought-provoking story! The narrator did a superb job with the reading.

This one will stick with me.

Any additional comments?

Not a war story buff, but this story was amazing. I'm sure there are many incredible war stories - but this one was almost hard to believe; it's that incredible!

A Patriotic American Story

This story is amazing and one all Americans should hear. I enjoyed Edward Herrmann's narration very much. So much of the story is difficult to listen to, but Laura inserted some welcomed humor. I have not seen the movie, but I could picture every moment through this audible book.

Amazing!!

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

Amazing!! An enthralling epic story of a true American hero. One of the best books I have ever read. Easily in the the top 2. I'm not going to write a full review. So many other folks have written great reviews here, you can read those. Let me save you some time and money though. I finished the book on a weekday afternoon and just had to go see the movie in the theater ASAP. I went that night... and walked out not even half way through. It is known that the book is always better than the movie, but I just wanted to yell at the screen "NOOO!!! You ruined it". Read the book, It is a true Masterpiece. Never had a book make me tear up before. I wish every book I read could be this wonderful.

Have you listened to any of Edward Herrmann’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

no

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

From cover to cover.