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)

The greatest of the greatest generation

Wow! Just wow! This story should be mandatory reading / listening in school. Amazing story!

I love this book so much I have listened to it like a bajillion times I live ww2 story’s and this one is top5 for sure

I love this book so much I have listened to it like a bajillion times I live ww2 story’s and this one is top5 for sure

Remarkable Tale

I'm so glad there was a happy ending. After everything that Louis went through, he was able to achieve inner peace and live the remainder of his days happily. I love this story so much.

Too much, yet prefect.

A book about human spirit, God and forgiveness. In the beginning the historical war descriptions were tedious and a bit overkill. In the middle, the stories of sick and dying men had me kind of sick. It felt lot too much. In the end I felt gratitude and the love for humankind. War is senseless. Torture and murder and all types of sufferings of war are just evil. I felt horrible for the POW's as well as the village women and children who suffered as well. Honestly, it was all heavy. But I learned a lot and I have gained more compassion I think. I would recommend this book, if someone were up for it.

Compelling and harrowing

This is the one where the story is so fantastic and saddening at the same time you’re left wishing it to be fiction.It was a long book but goes through so many facets of the era.The performance kept the listening experience lively and kept us hooked

Not a single low point

This is one of the best world war 2 stories I have ever heard and I urge anyone and everyone to hear it.

UNBROKEN

A great story that kept me w WA bring to continue. unbroken is well worth listening to.

Amazing Story

This was a wonderful book about survival, salvation, and forgiveness. Such a great generation in America, who had true grit during such difficult times.

Wow! Just wow

Incredible story that everyone should read. It broke my heart to hear this story on so many levels, but the best of endings that one could hope for Mr. Zamperini. The story ended and I just said WOW. So glad I listened.

Amazing read

Louis Zamparini is one of many examples of why his generation is the “Greatest Generation.” Wonderful story of forgiveness and redemption. Nonfiction that reads like a novel. Narrator did a great job and kept this reader fully engaged.