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)

Exceptional all around!

I do not know how to express my feelings of gratitude to the men and women this amazing book endeavors to keep alive. Thank you!

Love this book!

My father was a WWII veteran and didn't talk much about the war. He was at Pearl Harbor when it was attached and fell in love with the lifestyle there. I found it a compelling story, especially because I have lived on Hawaii Island my adult life in a majority Japanese American community with a history I never fully understood.

Wonderful!

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

I would give this a 12 out of 10 if it were possible. One of the best stories and most inspirational books I've ever read or listened to.

Simply Amazing!!!

Louie Zamperini's story is an incredible story of survival; and leaves you wondering what would he have done if he hadn't been captured by the Japanese. Based on his pre-war experiences he may have set many world records in track and field.
Louie was bombardier on a B-24 named "Superman" who went on several missions in Pacific Theater of operations during World War II. Everything was fine until he found himself on the hard luck "Green Hornet".
It would appear that the same determination that inspired him to complete all the training necessary to be competitive in olympic sports; allowed him to survive some the worse privations and brutality imaginable. I had previously read the book "We Thought We Heard the Angels Sing"; about Eddie Rickenbacker's 36 days in a life raft; and I thought that had to be the worst thing that could happen to crew adrift. I found out it wasn't.
This is an inspiring story about an inspiring man. I've read this book twice and I plan to again before I see the new movie coming out in Dec. 2014. This book will not disappoint; it never lets off. It holds you all the way to the end. It's a 10+.

Inspirational

Read this book years ago. Listening once again. Great message and reminder of sacrifice of others and what can be overcome!

inspiration

happy Louis became a Christian. It was a great read and I hope to read more like it

I felt like I was there. Very vivid.

Would you listen to Unbroken again? Why?

maybe

What other book might you compare Unbroken to and why?

like no other book I've read

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

It was hard to put down.

Any additional comments?

One of the best books I've read (or listened to). I highly recommend you listen to it on audio because of the delivery. I can only discribe it as unrelenting. It had me on edge, heart pounding. Even though I'm not into sports and I'm not into war stories, particularly, I am into stories of survival and miracles and this is a story of both.

Truly a remarkable story on resilience and redemption!!

This wasy first audible book I listened to. At first I could not believe the stories I am hearing were true story let alone Louis being a real person. This book by Laura Hillenbrand is an absoulte must for any book lovers!

Eye opening

I have always thought of the atrocities of WWII being limited to the Nazi concentration camps in Europe. I am aware that each side had POW camps and that mistreatment was likely; but, horrific brutality such as this was never on my radar. This man is amazing.

wow. I am astounded at the will of human beings

The author did a fine job of putting you in right next to Louie and his acquaintances. He was an amazing man and the author did a fine job of depicting his journey. I had no idea what are POWs went through. It's a good reminder for us to keep thinking them for their service.