Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption (Bound for Schools & Libraries)
Laura Hillenbrand
(Author)
Description
#1 "NEW YORK TIMES" BESTSELLER - SOON TO BE A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE - Look for special features inside. Join the Random House Reader's Circle for author chats and more. 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.
Hailed as the top nonfiction book of the year by "Time" magazine - Winner of the "Los Angeles Times" Book Prize for biography and the Indies Choice Adult Nonfiction Book of the Year award
"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"
Product Details
Price
$36.10
$33.57
Publisher
Turtleback Books
Publish Date
July 29, 2014
Pages
528
Dimensions
5.3 X 8.0 X 1.3 inches | 1.05 pounds
Language
English
Type
Prebound
EAN/UPC
9780606355988
BISAC Categories:
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About the Author
Laura Hillenbrand""is the author of the #1 "New York Times" bestseller "Seabiscuit: An American Legend, "which was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award, won the Book Sense Book of the Year Award and the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award, landed on more than fifteen best-of-the-year lists, and inspired the film "Seabiscuit, "which was nominated for seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Hillenbrand's "New Yorker" article, "A Sudden Illness," won the 2004 National Magazine Award, and she is a two-time winner of the Eclipse Award, the highest journalistic honor in Thoroughbred racing. She and actor Gary Sinise are the co-founders of Operation International Children, a charity that provides school supplies to children through American troops. She lives in Washington, D.C.
Reviews
Praise for "Unbroken"
"A master class in narrative storytelling...Extraordinarily moving...A powerfully drawn survival epic.""--The Wall Street Journal
""Will you be able to put ["Unbroken"] down once you poke your nose into it? You will not. ... No one delivers a play-by-play better than Laura Hillenbrand... No other author of narrative nonfiction chooses her subjects with greater discrimination or renders them with more discipline and commitment. If storytelling were an Olympic event, she'd medal for sure..."--Laura Miller, "Salon
"""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
""Monumental... as mesmerizing as it is gut-wrenching. Hillenbrand's writing is so ferociously cinematic, the events she describes so incredible, you don't dare take your eyes off the page."--"People
""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
""Hillenbrand is a muscular, dynamic storyteller... But she happens also to have located a tale full of unforgettable characters, multihanky moments and wild turns...A bang up research job.--"The New York Times
""A one-in-a-billion story... seems designed to wrench from self-respecting critics all the blurby adjectives we normally try to avoidL It is amazing, unforgettable, gripping, harrowing, chilling, and inspiring. It sucked me in and swept me away. It kept me reading late into the night. I could not...(it really hurts me to type this)...put it...(must find the strength to resist)... down."--"New York Magazine
""A warning: after cracking open "Unbroken" you may find yourself dog
"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. . . . When it comes to courage, charisma, and impossible adventure, few will ever match 'the boy terror of Torrance, ' and few but the author of "Seabiscuit" could tell his tale with such humanity and dexterity. Hillenbrand has given us a new national treasure."--Christopher McDougall, author of "Born to Run"
"Riveting . . . an exceptional portrait . . . So haunting and so beautifully written, those who fall under its spell will never again feel the same way about World War II and one of its previously
"A master class in narrative storytelling...Extraordinarily moving...A powerfully drawn survival epic.""--The Wall Street Journal
""Will you be able to put ["Unbroken"] down once you poke your nose into it? You will not. ... No one delivers a play-by-play better than Laura Hillenbrand... No other author of narrative nonfiction chooses her subjects with greater discrimination or renders them with more discipline and commitment. If storytelling were an Olympic event, she'd medal for sure..."--Laura Miller, "Salon
"""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
""Monumental... as mesmerizing as it is gut-wrenching. Hillenbrand's writing is so ferociously cinematic, the events she describes so incredible, you don't dare take your eyes off the page."--"People
""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
""Hillenbrand is a muscular, dynamic storyteller... But she happens also to have located a tale full of unforgettable characters, multihanky moments and wild turns...A bang up research job.--"The New York Times
""A one-in-a-billion story... seems designed to wrench from self-respecting critics all the blurby adjectives we normally try to avoidL It is amazing, unforgettable, gripping, harrowing, chilling, and inspiring. It sucked me in and swept me away. It kept me reading late into the night. I could not...(it really hurts me to type this)...put it...(must find the strength to resist)... down."--"New York Magazine
""A warning: after cracking open "Unbroken" you may find yourself dog
"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. . . . When it comes to courage, charisma, and impossible adventure, few will ever match 'the boy terror of Torrance, ' and few but the author of "Seabiscuit" could tell his tale with such humanity and dexterity. Hillenbrand has given us a new national treasure."--Christopher McDougall, author of "Born to Run"
"Riveting . . . an exceptional portrait . . . So haunting and so beautifully written, those who fall under its spell will never again feel the same way about World War II and one of its previously
