Ratings154
Average rating4.4
Hailed as the top nonfiction book of the year by Time magazine • Winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for biography
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.
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.
Reviews with the most likes.
Strong 4 1/2. The audio is read by Edward Herman, which is such a delight, as his dignified and classical delivery is so perfectly suited to the story. Liz and I listened to this on a car trip together, and it took much longer to get through because we kept having to pause for exclamations and discussions (recommended!). The story is so fantastical, I was on the edge of my seat on what happened next to him and his friends in the story. I also appreciated the historical details. Though they did slow the story, I learned from them and they inspired a lot of great discussions. Glad this is on the HBOB list!
Wow. Just, wow. Each of Louis' ordeals seems to crush the previous in terms of hardship and his response. The timeline is unthinkable. Most of the major incidents his life, as retold in this book, occur within a few short years of his youth. Such highs and lows seem like they would crush a human spirit, and he is crushed. His recovery and ascendence to peace makes the story heartwarming even as there is unspeakable cruelty within.
I'd recommend this book to folks interested in history, running (you'll be impressed), and life stories. I'm thankful that my dentist recommended this book several years ago and that I found it.