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)

Astonishing, spellbinding....

Where does Unbroken rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It might be the best book thus far...

What did you like best about this story?

The story is well-written, Edward Herman does a masterful job with the narration. I listened to the book a couple of hours a day for a week, I might listen to it again...

What about Edward Herrmann’s performance did you like?

His narration is smooth and soulful, excellent job.

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

The last chapter brought tears to my eyes...

Any additional comments?

This is what all audio books should strive to be...

Great tribute

What a great tribute to a great man of honor to our country and believer of true human faith. This book is very well written and descriptions of his sufferings, greatness and forgiveness as well as the sufferings and feelings of his loved ones are greatly felt on this book. I cried not just once but many times on his sufferings and his lost and elated on the triumph of his freedom and forgiveness of the men who have tortured and robbed him of his life for many years. The narrator is very good and has captured Louis life with feelings. What a great book, I would wish for this book to be recommended to Highschool students.

Excellent!

Excellent all around. The narrator did a fantastic job. The story is in much more detail than the movie. I can't fathom what Zamparini and the other Pacific POWs went through but the narrator does his best.

Well told

The narrator was great! There was never a good stopping point, I yearned to hear more. Incredible story, a must!

Fabulous

What made the experience of listening to Unbroken the most enjoyable?

The story itself is amazing, absolutely amazing. The narrator is great - has a way of bringing you right into the action, felt like you were there. Along the way, I learned so much about World War II - gave me an appreciation for what it really was like at that time. This is one of the top 3 audio books. You can't miss with this one.

Unbroken

Very well written and performed. Accurate research and detail make this novel truly historical fiction.

Inspiring

Very graphic but an excellent story. Well written and a very honest true story. Great read

Fascinating story

This is an almost unbelievable story of an individual's strength and perseverance. Some of the story was so intense it was difficult to listen to. In the end, the story is completely inspirational

A story that hits you to the core.

Loved this story of resilience and human endeavour to persist. Amazingly narrated, takes you to a different era, a different time.

Indpirational

When you listen to his story you know you can go on with God's grace.