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)

My favorite book...buy it

I have over 150 Audible books and Unbroken is now my absolute favorite. The story just kept getting better and better throughout. It was a wild roller coaster ride and just when you knew it couldn't get any worse for Louie something unexpected happened. Great story with a great ending. Buy this book.

Beautifully written, well-researched

However, sometimes very difficult to listen to, especially the parts about the treatment of Japanese POWs during the war. This book is a testament to the resilience of man in the face of incredible abuse and deprivation. It is the story of an unforgettable man who triumphed and managed to stay alive and go on to live a very full life, beating the odds, which were definitely stacked against him. Highly recommended.

Wow! Do not miss this one

Wow!
Ever since reading Seabiscuit, I’ve been eagerly awaiting another book by Laura Hillenbrand. She is not only a magnificent story teller, she has a magnificent gift for picking stories to tell. Nine years ago, that story was Seasbiscuit: An American Legend. I had no interest in horses or horse racing, but I picked it up because the reviews had been so good. It was one of the most enthralling, memorable books I’ve ever read. (If you get it from Audible.com, be sure to get the Unabridged version. The abridged version is not worthy of your time),
Nine years later comes Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption. It’s the story of a bombardier whose plane crashes into the Pacific and, after surviving 47 days on a raft, must survive a year and a half of torture and slave labor as a prisoner of war. In the hands of a lesser story teller, the relentless ordeals this man endured could have become maudlin, boring or even comical. But in Hillenbrand’s telling, it’s an emotional rollercoaster that leaves one in awe. There were times the book had me in tears and it’s rare a book can do that for a reader.
Edward Hermann deserves applause for his excellent reading. This is a book you should not miss.

Kept me awake all night.

This is a compelling story written with authenticity and candor. It was almost impossible to imagine that this story was real yet it was. I would read this as fiction but as a biography it is totally amazing. This is a must read!!! You will be amazed and inspired.

This one is a must-read.

My father was a pilot during WWII...although not in the Pacific Theater. I remember his hating anything and everything Japanese. He never told my why. Now I know and I'm thankful he didn't burden me with his bias. This was the most difficult and, at the same time, the most engrossing book I've listened to (or read) in a very long time...a great read especially for those of us who were military "brats" of the "baby boomer" generation. It put lots of things in perspective. Kudos to Edward Hermann's narration.

Unbroken is a must-listen!

If Unbroken had been a work of Fiction, it would undoubtedly have been too fantastic a yarn to remain within the boundaries of imagination. Rather, Hillenbrand provides a vivid account of the real life story of Louis Zamperini. Hillenbrand masterfully weaves this harrowing tale of survival adrift a lifeboat in the shark-laden waters of the Pacific and in Japan’s most brutal World War II Prison Camps with a heart-tugging story of perseverance, forgiveness and the determination of the human spirit. Herrmann brilliantly delivers the story, lending his award-winning narration with perfect pitch and pace. Unbroken is a must listen for anyone facing adversity or unforgiveness. Highly recommended.

Excellent!

From a widely listened listener, this was an excellent listen! I usually turn on a book to do the dishes or run but this had me stopping whatever task just to sit and listen.

Excellent reading

If you like books about true events you will love this book. Well written, exciting, and very well narrated I consider it the best so far in my Audible collection.

wow!

This book could be required reading for history class, the students would enjoy it, and be moved by it! The reader does a fantastic job of adding to a well written story!

Amazing.. A must read!

If you could sum up Unbroken in three words, what would they be?

How in the world did he survive this? I can't even imagine how one would get through this experiences.