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

What made the experience of listening to Unbroken the most enjoyable?

The author created a easy to follow story of this amazing man. This man's story is so amazing it is hard to believe. Louie is a someone you like from the very start. His war experience in the POW camps is gut wrenching. I highly recommend the book.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Louie

Which scene was your favorite?

His return home after being imprisoned in the Japanese POW camps.

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

I was horrified by the cruelty of the POW camps and what the men had to endure.

Any additional comments?

Great book!

Brilliant

Expertly researched and beautifully written. Unflinching but unsensational. I could not stop listening. Great narration as well. An incredible record of a mans life.

Completely consuming and inspiring

Would you listen to Unbroken again? Why?

I couldn't because I became emotionally involved

What did you like best about this story?

Louie's unending perserverance for life

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

his narration style was as if he was a first hand witness during Louie's time

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

being shot at while fending off sharks and praying

Any additional comments?

everyone will be inspired one way or another

Amazing.

This is the most amazing story of resilience. A must read/listen.
Goosebumps. Tears. All the feels. So so so good.

How has this never been made into a film?

Probably up there with the greatest stories of survival ever told. Louie Zamperini is a remarkable human being, but the story that shaped him into the man he later became was on of the most intense, enjoyable listens I have ever had. I cannot see how anyone would not enjoy this book. Following transformation of Zamperini from thief, to track star, to soldier, to husband and father was a pleasure. Highly suggested and should be required reading for students learning about the WWII era.

Amazing

What an absolutely amazing story and excellent writing. I can't believe this is a true story. This really is A must read!!!!

A Great History of War a the Peace from Forgivenes

I really enjoyed this book. It brought me into the incites of WWII from the perspective of those who lives it. It also she'd a light on the burdens one soldier bore after his experience and how he overcame them after the war.

Great book

This is a great book. The story is great and you don’t want to stop after you started. It is crazy to think that all of those things really happened. I really recommend.

Recommended book

Such an amazing story. Once again the book has outdone the movie. A must read.

Amazing

This book is great to listen to, i take you on a journey as you listen to it. You can feel the tension and the stress as the story goes along. Telling the story of louis Zamperini as a POW in a Japanese camp in WWII, you can feel the emotions and the hardship he face and how he and his fellow POW made it through to the end. It is a great book It played like a movie in my head, it was so addicting listening to it for hrs not even noticing. Even if you watched the Movie, the book is on a whole other level of detail and imagery.