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)

Amazing!

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I thought about this book daily for weeks after listening to it. What an incredible story and example of perseverance and strength of character.

Any additional comments?

I loved this book and highly recommend it.

Long and slow to start but worth it

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

Resilience beyond belief.

What other book might you compare Unbroken to and why?

No other I've listened to previously.

What does Edward Herrmann bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Drama.

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

It was all one very moving book.

Any additional comments?

This guy was real. In fact he just passed away prior to the movie that will be released. Read this book It is a life that is one remarkable story.

Drop everything you are doing and read or listen to this book

Every high school student in America ought to read or listen to this book. It not only tells Louie’s personal story but also the story of America’s war in the Pacific with such skill that readers will be compelled to sit up all night and suspend all normal activities just to finish it. The book is filled with historical context and details but it feels more like an epic novel than a lecture from a history professor. Despite reading of the overwhelming suffering and cruelty of fellow human beings, readers are left with a sense of hope and triumph over all of it. Success is not measured in only a material sense, but in the triumph of the soul over evil that seeks to consume us.

Great story, wonderful subject.

Felt like I was there, wanted to keep driving so I could continue to listen and then wanted more.

Loved it!

From begging to end it captured my attention. I didn’t want it to end. It amazes me beyond belief what a human can endure, I am shocked what these war hero’s went through. It gives me once again a appreciation for my freedom and that I am an American! Thank you men and women for your service and dedication. I too am a Christian and I know about forgiveness but the example of Louie is so huge! Thank you for this honest raw real story! I’ve been so blessed for having heard it.

Eye opening and humbling

This isn’t the type of book I typically read or listen to. It was highly recommended so I gave it a shot, and I’m so glad I did. The story by itself is shocking and moving. But I’m also impressed with how the author provided just the right amount of detail for the reader to understand what life was like at that time. I’ve been recommending this book to all of my friends and family. I think it should be included as mandatory reading in classrooms.

Well done on many levels

This story is fascinating. The details of Louis’ survival at sea and his ordeal as a POW are told masterfully. I was expecting to be “preached to,” but I did not feel that way at all. Well done in keeping this story balanced.

An amazing story of a WWII hero

the content was astounding. how can someone cheat death so much? the narrator read very well, and his voice fit the feel of the book quite well.

Powerful story.

The sheer amount of pain and personal anguish is enough to break any normal man.

Awesome, inspirational, enlightening

This is one of those books that completely changes the way you look at life.