SYNOPSIS

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, seven years in the making, Laura Hillenbrand writes with the same rich and vivid narrative voice she displayed in her blockbuster bestseller, 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.

VFAVE CONTRIBUTOR COMMENTARY

An incredibly powerful true-story story or grit, and redemption. Heroism at its finest, especially because the hero ultimately finds that all he survives matters little - unless his life is grounded in a living faith.

VFAVE CONTRIBUTOR

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NEWS & REVIEWS

Plugged In: Book Review - Unbroken

This very thorough review gives a good understanding of what to expect in the book, especially when recommending it to a teen reader. Includes awards and faith elements. Read More

NPR Review: Unbroken

Article Excerpt: "Despite Zamperini's astounding triumphs, Hillenbrand rarely refers to him as a hero in her book. She wants his story to stand as just one example of its kind. "Louis is definitely a hero," she says. "What he did for this country is something that really moves me. I don't, though, want to separate him from all the other men around him who did the same thing. They're all extraordinary. I want him to be representative of all of them, rather than somebody who stands apart from them." Read More

Louis S. Zamperini the Hero of Unbroken by Author Laura Hillenbrand

Discover more in this short video about the heroic soldier survivor, Louis Zamperini, as told in the book, "Unbroken", by biographer, Laura Hillenbrand. Truly an ordinary man, who lived an extraordinary...and grace-redeemed life. Read More