• Unbroken

  • A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption
  • By: Laura Hillenbrand
  • Narrated by: Edward Herrmann
  • Length: 13 hrs and 56 mins
  • 4.8 out of 5 stars (50,757 ratings)

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Unbroken  By  cover art

Unbroken

By: Laura Hillenbrand
Narrated by: Edward Herrmann
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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)

Featured Article: The 20 Best History Audiobooks You Never Heard in School


While history is by definition the study of the past, no subject tells us more about the present, or is as exciting to follow in contemporary times. The range of subgenres within history writing is huge. Some authors cover a massive scope, while others zoom in to examine tiny, overlooked elements in a new way. Unlike your history class of old, these selections don’t demand memorization of names and dates. Read on for the best in our catalog.

What listeners say about Unbroken

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Incredible, and so moving

Edward Herman is a fantastic narrator and absolutely perfect for this role. I just don’t even have words to express how amazing this book was. I am literally weeping at the end.

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unbelievable story!! loved it!

could not stop listening to this book. even if I had 5 minutes, I wanted to know what happened next.

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Powerful story and a reminder of the horrors of war

Truly an incredible story. Powerful reminder of the dehumanizing effect of war on both the perpetrators of war crimes and their victims. It raises profound questions about humanity’s morality and the seemingly bottomless capacity for cruelty and hate, as well as compassion and love.

While the conclusion is riddled with Christian messaging not all readers will appreciate, it is true to the real life protagonist.

I would say this is a must read book for anyone.

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So inspiring!

I am going through some major life changes right now, and this book has been so great during this time. When I’m at the gym and need to push it to get all my reps in I think of Louis and the other POW’s that made it through the hell that was Japanese POW camps. I think of what they went through protecting our freedoms so I could go to the gym. It was also nice to read about the pride these young men had in America. I wish that we had kept onto that after WW2 instead of becoming a bunch of lazy importers of BS. It’s also amazing to hear about his mental journey as well, the inner turmoil that was caused and inner peace attained after much suffering. This is one of those books that makes you appreciate even the shorty parts of life because they got you to today. Great book.

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This book should be read by every man.

This book is a testimony to our Merciful Lord Jesus Christ. We are created in His image.

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Unbelievable and powerful story all need to hear!

There just aren’t powerful enough words to describe how much this story has impacted my life! Louie’s story is one everyone should hear as it is absolutely life changing. So grateful I decided to listen because war stories with such disturbing details are not my usual genre. Life is hard enough without those details is how I think but this - this was worth it. The end is what makes it even more amazing! Can’t recommend it enough!

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I'm happy I trusted reviews.

Has a movie been made yet? I hope not. I couldn't bear to see the war crimes and atrocities depicted in this book, nor see Hollywood gloss over or condense them. Still, I'm glad they were recorded for posterity. And Hollywood would never depict the very satisfying ending as spiritually moving as it was in print, if they would even try to tell the ending as written, at all. I'd only trust Hollywood to rewrite it. And before I clicked submit, I googled. Yep, Angelina Jolie made a movie. And yes, all the critical reviews of it support what I just wrote. I won't see the movie and I'm happy I read the book.

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A beautiful story beautifully told

This story had me in tears multiple times. A story of survival, betrayal, resilience and love. I couldn't stop listening to it. An amazing story about an amazing man.

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Unbroken

What an incredible ride through history and personal triumph! My father was part of the Pacific theater, and those years were my early childhood. The narration was well-done with only one correction I could make on the pronunciation of a Hawaiian city (nit-pik, sorry). I must say mahalo nui loa to you for all your hard work, Ms Hillenbrand. The book should be required secondary school reading. Thank you, Audible. Kudos!

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Riveting.

Found out after finishing this book that there was a movie made based on it. I won't be watching the movie! The descriptions and depictions in the book will more than suffice. I can't imagine a movie saying it all any better. Beautifully written, excellently narrated. Loved it. I had no idea what prisoner-of-war camps were like. Wow.

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