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

Laura Hillenbrand follows her spectacular biography of race horse Seabiscuit with the gripping tale of Louis Zamperini's life and tribulations as a downed airman in WWII. "Unbroken" is written in Hillenbrand's inimitable style, blending global events with personal anecdotes from the lives of Lt. Zamperini and his family and fellow airmen.Prior to the war, Zamperini had overcome serious obstacles to become one of the best milers in track and field history, competing in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin with Jesse Owens and other famous American Olympians. As America entered WWII he became a bombardier flying B-24s in the Pacific Theater. When his plane ditched in a remote part of the Pacific, Louie and two colleagues survived the crash, and drifted thousands of miles for more than 47 days before being picked up by a Japanese ship. During those weeks they endured unthinkable hardships: one of their companions died aboard the life raft, they were repeatedly attacked by sharks, and strafed by Japanese planes.After Louis and his pilot, Russell Allen Phillips were "rescued," an even more harrowing journey began, as both men were incarcerated in a series of brutal Japanese POW camps. The vivid descriptions of camp conditions and the inhuman brutality of many of the prison guards are gut wrenching. The depth of depravity that Louie and his fellow prisoners had to endure is unimaginable, and the fact that he survived to live a productive life is a testament to his incredibly resilient and unbreakable will and spirit.The author does not shrink from telling about Louie's post-war troubles with alcohol, rage and PTSD. The account of Zamperini's reluctant encounter with evangelist Billy Graham,is touching and instructive, for it proved to be the event that allowed Louie to finally come to peace with his hatred of the worst of the Japanese guards, Mutsuhiro Watanabe, "The Bird," Louie was finally free of the haunting nightmares and his need to seek revenge.As I was reading this book, one of my close friends saw the book in my hand and said: "This book changed my life!" The story of Louie Zamperini and his trials and tribulations is that inspiring.

I'm a voracious reader. Addicted to reading since I was a young child. I love and read a great deal of history. This book was hands down, one of the best written I've ever read on WWII. Laura Hillenbrand is now as beloved an author to me as Stephen Ambrose. My grandfather spent years in Europe during WWII. My mother tells the story of meeting her father for the first time when he came home after the war. He left when she was a toddler and she has no memories of him before the war. Sadly, there was no information on PTSD in those years. He did his best, but the war broke him in profound ways that would chase all his children and grandchildren through the years. This book has given me great sadness for what all the men suffered, but has also healed a wound. Grandfather didn't hate us all, he was merely dealing with a burden he could never share. Great book. Very well written. I haven't stayed up all night reading in many years, but this book have me that rare pleasure of trading sleep for getting lost in a story.

First off, I must say that I am very encouraged to see the THOUSANDS of positive reviews of this book. The bravery, unbelievable sacrifices, devotion, patriotism, and tenacity of "The Greatest Generation" should never be forgotten. I am heartened to see that even in this day and age of Political Correctness, many share my feelings on the matter.Please bear with me for a moment, while I provide a little personal background before launching into my review. I feel it is relevant.I can very proudly say that my parents (I am 51) were members of that generation to whom we all owe an immeasurable amount of gratitude. At the time of World War II, My father was a very young Marine (one of my pet peeves is seeing "Marine" spelled with a lowercase "m") who joined the USMC shortly after the war broke out. As so many in the US military did, he fought the Japanese in the Pacific from one hell hole island to another. Thankfully, he made it home safely, and went on to lead a very distinguished career in the United States Marine Corps. Sadly, he died when I was only 17 (he was a much too young 59), and many is the time I have wished I could have talked to him about his war experiences, especially since I have grown to become an avid student of history for the past 25 years. Note; if there are any members or past members of the US military in your family or circle of friends, LISTEN TO THEM ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCES! I was young and stupid, and my opportunity is lost.Now for the book. POSSIBLE SPOILERS.....This book is Odyssean in its vast tapestry of one epic struggle after another. The name of Louis Zamperini is one that, hopefully now, thanks to Laura Hillenbrand, will become a household name in the pantheon of great Americans. From the time of his youth, to the rigors of the Olympics, to the gripping fear of aerial combat, she traces his remarkable life through a seemingly never ending ordeal of survival while being lost at sea for a record 47 days, only to be captured by the Japanese to endure a withering, seemingly ceaseless nightmare of thirst, starvation, torture, sickness, humiliation, loss and loneliness, eventually becoming a fixed recipient of unbelievable brutality by a sick and twisted sadist who is relentless in his devotion to break Mr. Zamperini's spirit.Frequently, when thinking about WWII vets, I have often wondered out loud to my wife; "how in the world did these guys, after seeing what they saw and experiencing what they experienced, get on with 'normal' life?" Indeed, one could argue that Louis Zamperini's greatest challenges came AFTER he experienced a multitude of challenges that would have utterly destroyed most people in body, mind and soul. Thankfully for Louis and his family (and his family is VERY much a part of the story), he eventually found a way. Regarding his family, this book should appeal to many people across a wide spectrum, as Laura Hillenbrand takes us into the thoughts and emotions of those who loved him most, and we share in their seemingly interminable hours of agony, spent in the uncertainty of any knowledge of the well being of one they held so dear.The book is very well researched, and one can tell that Laura Hillenbrand certainly put a Herculean amount of effort into putting it together. My only negative critique would be that I occasionally found some of the sentence structure to be a bit choppy. However, that being said, she does a wonderful job of allowing us, as much as possible within a book, to see, hear, smell, feel, and taste the details of a story that stagger the imagination. It is emotionally riveting.This book will inspire you, make you angry, make you cry, and make you immeasurably proud to be an American. Ultimately, it will reveal in a very raw, graphic, (this book is not for the squeamish), heartbreaking and heartwarming way, the indomitable spirit of mankind, and how one man, after living through seven kinds of hell, remained, UNBROKEN.Please allow me to close by expressing a deeply heartfelt THANK YOU to all the brave and wonderful men and women, past, present, and future, who wear the uniform, be it Army, Navy, Air Force, United States Marine Corps, Coast Guard, or National Guard. We live free because you serve.

Of such amazing human beings!!I would have thought the film too unbelievable, if I hadn't read this book.It is a fantastic book, definitely up there with the best books that I have ever read.Louie had to suffer things that very few people would be able to withstand.I shall read this book again, to fully absorb its magnitude and incredible bravery.I am so thankful to Laura, she is an author who writes for the story, not the money that she gets from it. I am going to read Seabiscuit next.This book has taught me how lucky I have been in my life, not to have experienced the brutality of war. I am not worthy to be in the same room as these many brave people.Pain stings our bodies and makes us realise how frail we truly are. It also shows us that the real strength comes from within.This book will never be forgotten.

The story of the life of Louie Zamperini is remarkable by any standards. There are four broad phases, unequal in duration but equally absorbing. These comprise: his early life and running career; the time adrift in a small raft for more than forty days; internment in Japanese prisoner of war camps; and the long life of peace and Christian commitment initiated by a Billy Graham rally. Through each phase the zest for life and dogged determination of Louie Zamperini are writ large. I have rarely read a book as quickly as this one.The events are remarkable enough but these are complemented by a riveting style of writing that draws the reader along at pace. The factual description is supplemented by a delicate reflection on the humanity of the main character, his companions and captors. This blend makes the book far more than an adventure story. We see the extremes of humanity in Zamperini and “The Bird”, his jailor and tormentor. Towards the end her tale Hillenbrand writes just two or three paragraphs which in their economy, insight and compassion capture the unimaginable burdens of a liberated but abused man. She tells us, “Their dignity had been obliterated, replaced with a pervasive sense of shame and worthlessness”. Their struggle henceforth was to find their individual peace. Hillenbrand introduces us to a remarkable man but also lays out before us the full unsettling range of behaviour of which mankind is capable. Expect much more than a book about a hero.

Captivating, shocking, inspiring, thrilling true story. We owe much to those heroes who fought for our freedom. Their bravery, courage, humour in adversity & their personal battles post war (conflict legacy) teach us much. I never realised why they didn't talk much on return from the war ( I thought they just didn't "share" stuff like people do now) but the searing brutal honesty of Louie helped me see this war differently. In many ways Louie gives a voice to those who came home & the thousands who never made it.Recommend not just for the younger generation but anyone post WW11. It is a must read!

Whew! What a biography! I couldn't put it down, and I most likely won't read it again - but I highly recommend it. If you watch 'Survivor' you will definitely want to read this book. It kept me awake and haunted my dreams. Louis Zamperini was not the kind of boy or man I like to be around - outrageous and daring, a brazen and defiant boundary-pusher, and the true hero of the story might appear to be his faithful brother, Peter. However, running disciplined and redeemed Louie and he participated in the Olympics before being sucked into the horrors of the Second World War. Imagine surviving on a raft for forty days or more, circled by sharks, strafed by enemy planes - only to be captured by the Japanese and subjected to unimaginable treatment: including starvation, torture, depravity and humiliation! Then, to survive the war at a time when Post Traumatic Stress was hardly recognised and many survivors killed themselves or drank themselves into misery or death. Understandably after all he went through, Louie seemed hellbent on self destruction after the war until he reluctantly attended one of Billy Graham's early crusades. What he experienced was nothing short of miraculous! His whole life turned around and - back on track - he devoted the rest of his life to rescuing life-wrecked boys from a similar fate. You will end up feeling as if you have been spat out of a harvesting machine, I warn you - but awe-struck that there actually is HOPE out there for those who know where to find it!

I very much enjoyed Sea Biscuit by Laura Hillenbrand, but this one is way ahead of it in every way. The life of a young Italian American tear away saved from a life of crime by a loving brother and the discovery of a talent for and love of running. In his teen years he breaks all the age group records for middle distance running and makes the US Olympic team for the 1936 Berlin games.He does well in the 5000 metres ,but his target is the 1940 games 1500 metres and the strong possibility of being the first to run a sub 4 minute mile. Alas the war takes over his life.He ditches in the Pacific and with 2 others drifts with virtually no rations for 47 days. The irony is that he was not shot down , but was on a search and rescue flight in an unairworthy plane that failed.After his heroic survival he is picked up by the enemy Japanese and so begins years of absolute hell at the hands of sadistic guards who beat and starve their captives without mercy . In particular a masochistic , pervert , the Bird who by unrelenting torture tries and almost succeeds in breaking Louis' spirit.The war over Louis can not adjust to freedom and domesticity and descends into alcoholism to escape his demons and the ever present nightmares haunted by theBird. He is too good a man to perish in booze and remembers his vow to God back adrift on the Pacific to serve Him if he is allowed to survive.His running days are alas over and the dream of the 1948 London games dashed due to the recurrence of a Japanese inflicted injury ,but he is still a young fit man and dedicates the rest of his life to helping young delinquents back to a decent way of life and lecturing about his captivity and the recovery of his life.This is a special man heaped with honours for his good humanitarian work and amazingly full of forgiveness for those who tried to destroy him. He lives to a busy, happy old age without resentment or fear.Laura Hillenbrand's descriptions of the dire conditions are well researched and bring the horrors of his captivity to life. The book moves at a fast pace and is rich in facts and details of a hellish time not so long ago.What a fine example of a decent human being. If only we could all be half the man Louis Zamperinii is.