Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - 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 new 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.

Praise for Unbroken

"Extraordinarily moving . . . a powerfully drawn survival epic."--The Wall Street Journal

" 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

"Ambitious and powerful . . . a startling narrative and an inspirational book."--The New York Times Book Review

"Marvelous . . . Unbroken is wonderful twice over, for the tale it tells and for the way it's told. . . . It manages maximum velocity with no loss of subtlety."--Newsweek

"Moving and, yes, inspirational . . . Laura] Hillenbrand's unforgettable book . . . deserve s] pride of place alongside the best works of literature that chart the complications and the hard-won triumphs of so-called ordinary Americans and their extraordinary time."--Maureen Corrigan, Fresh Air

"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

Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: Random House
Published: 11/16/2010
ISBN: 9781400064168
Pages: 473
Weight: 1.80lbs
Size: 9.40h x 6.50w x 1.40d
Award: Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award - Nominee
Award: ALA Notable Books - Winner
Award: Christopher Awards - Winner
Award: Grand Canyon Reader Award - Recommended
Award: Colorado Blue Spruce Award - Nominee
Award: L.A. Times Book Prize - Winner
Award: Indies Choice Book Awards - Winner

Review Citations: Entertainment Weekly 07/29/2011 pg. 19
Entertainment Weekly 03/11/2011 pg. 81
Library Journal Prepub Alert 07/01/2010 pg. 57
Kirkus Reviews 09/01/2010
Library Journal 10/01/2010 pg. 84
Publishers Weekly 10/11/2010 pg. 34
Booklist 11/01/2010 pg. 14
People Weekly 11/22/2010 pg. 45
Entertainment Weekly 11/19/2010 pg. 101
Newsweek 11/22/2010 pg. 51
Entertainment Weekly 12/03/2010 pg. 83
New York Times Book Review 11/21/2010 pg. 20
New York Times Book Review 11/28/2010 pg. 26
Christian Century 01/11/2011 pg. 42
Publishers Weekly Best Books 11/08/2010 pg. 22
People Weekly 10/21/2013 pg. 42
Entertainment Weekly 11/08/2013 pg. 12
BookPage 11/01/2010

Accelerated Reader Quiz #/Name: 144668 / Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption
Reading Level: 7.7 / Interest Level: Upper Grade / Point Value: 24