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)

Unbroken

A very good book and you will not be able to stop reading it. I highly recommend it and know you will find it worth your time and money.

Fabulous

One of the best books I have ever listened to or read. I have already bought three for Christmas presents. This is more than biography. "Unbroken" tells about a physical journey and all the attending hardships, but more than that outlines a spiritual journey, the power of light over darkness, the endurance of the human soul and the unimaginable power of forgiveness. No one should pass this one by.

Great story, like three books in one

Hillenbrand weaves a great story about a depression era kid who becomes a world class athlete, a fighter pilot, a POW and a hero. Just as good as Seabiscuit.

Wow!

I spend a great deal of time reading reviews before choosing a listen. Occasionally the reviews have steered me toward disappointment, but not this time. This story was beautifully written and a wonderful tribute to all the POW's of the WWII in the Pacific. I strongly recommend this book to all amateur historians.

Amazing!

What an amazing book. I don't read much nonfiction but Laura Hillenbrand does such an amazing job of braiding so many stories seemlessly that her work is hard to put down.
Inspiring and difficult to hear this is a must read.

BEST BOOK EVER!

Just when you think things can get any worst, look out. Very good tale and well written and well read. I will listen to it again soon. Dont pass this up the story is amazing.

Gripping and Compelling--must read!

Unbroken is an inspiring testament to the human will to survive and overcome all obstacles. This is incredible true story is a must read!

A riveting story

I have had the story for a while and have not read it or listen to it. For some reason on this Memorial Day weekend I chose to play this book. I was taking in and held enthralled in the story. Like many of my generation I knew that there were some atrocities in POW camps but like many I didn't have a true understanding of the effects it had on the men that endured it. I new more of the Vietnam prisoner of war camps then I did of those in World War II or even Korea. this was an amazing story and I'm glad that I had an opportunity to experience it. Edward Hermann's voice added much to the story.

Amazing story

There is nothing I'm going to say which hasn't been said before, but this is truly an amazing story. My only very minor complaint is that the end seemed to be rushed, I would have liked a lot more detail -- still in the scheme of the book that's a minor complaint.

A modern masterpiece!

Louis Zamperini could have had a short life. Indeed, it appears as though supernatural protection was provided to him repeatedly throughout his life. If this was a work of fiction it would have been a great story. That it is a true biography is a testament to a full life that began without discipline or purpose but found both - plus grace, on an epic scale.

A masterpiece of writing by Laura Hillenbrand. Nicely presented by Edward Herrmann.