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)

Worth every minute!

I saw the movie and almost didn't read the book. I knew the book would be better than the movie but wow!

Absolutely captivating story

This audiobook captivated me immediately, an amazing story of survival and heart. Very well written and narrated. Beautiful story.

Good story

Excellent story. Makes you feel grateful for the simple things you have, and for those who helped make it possible.

Amazing story

What an amazing story, I highly recommend it to anyone. I enjoyed every minute, it seemed to fly by.

One of the Best

One of the most compelling stories you will ever listen to, wonderfully narrated by Edward Herrmann. The author, Laura Hillenbrand, has a unique way of making historical biography into a page-turner. An inspiring story of the strength of the human spirit.

Wow!

Easily my favorite book of the year. Exceptional from start to finish. You'll share this with your kids.

Powerful and compelling

After seeing an advertisement for the movie, I thought that the book might be worth the time.

I was unprepared for the beautiful narrative that told this powerful and compelling story.

Stirring

Well worth the listen. I would recommend this book highly. The real life accounts a gripping. So sad what humans can do to one another, but so inspiring what forgiveness obliterates.

If you breathe, read this book!

Anyone that breathes should read this book! So... yes, you! I've loved every word of this book. I'm amazed at the quality of writing, pacing, feeling, and attention to detail Hillenbrand so eloquently displays in this book. Not only is it a great American POW story, but a testament to the long suffering, stamina, endurance, and limits of the human body and mind. It's also reminded me of divine destiny, intervention, tender mercies, and eternal truths and principles. I'm so grateful to have read this book, and how fitting to finish it today!

couldn't believe it was a true story

one of the best stories I've ever heard, kept me on my feet and I never wanted to stop, it's educational but also a fantastic story that seems made up because it was so good! and I can't believe all that happened to one man.