Laura Hillenbrand
Author of Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption
About the Author
Laura Hillenbrand was born in Fairfax, Virginia on May 15, 1967. She studied at Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, but was forced to leave before graduation because she contracted chronic fatigue syndrome. She has been writing about history and thoroughbred racing since 1988 and has been a show more contributing writer and editor at Equus magazine since 1989. Her work has appeared in many other publications including The New Yorker, American Heritage, ABC Sports Online, Thoroughbred Times, Talk, and The Backstretch. Her 1998 American Heritage article on Seabiscuit won her an Eclipse Award for outstanding feature article. In 2004, she won the National Magazine Award for the New Yorker article, A Sudden Illness. Her first book Seabiscuit: An American Legend won the Book Sense Nonfiction Book of the Year Award and the William Hill Sports Book of the Year in 2001. She served as a consultant on the Universal Pictures movie Seabiscuit, which was based on her book. Her second book, Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption, a biography of World War II hero Louis Zamperini, was also made into a movie. She was honored by the Turf Publicists of America for her contributions to the sport of thoroughbred racing with the 36th annual Big Sport of Turfdom award, making her just the fifth woman to win the award. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Works by Laura Hillenbrand
Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption (2010) 14,410 copies, 618 reviews
Unbroken (The Young Adult Adaptation): An Olympian's Journey from Airman to Castaway to Captive (2014) 1,098 copies, 16 reviews
War reporting for cowards 2 copies
Associated Works
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Canonical name
- Hillenbrand, Laura
- Birthdate
- 1967-05-15
- Gender
- female
- Education
- Kenyon College (BA|1989)
- Occupations
- editor
author
sports journalist - Organizations
- Operation Iraqi Children
Equus - Awards and honors
- Eclipse Award (1998, 2001)
Big Sport of Turfdom Award (2001)
William Hill Sports Book of the Year (2001)
Book Sense Nonfiction Book of the Year Award (2001)
National Magazine Award (2004)
Christopher Award (2011) (show all 8)
Glamour Women of the Year Award (2003)
Perseverance Honors Award (2013) - Short biography
- Laura Hillenbrand (born May 15, 1967) is an American author of books and magazine articles. Her two bestselling nonfiction books, Seabiscuit: An American Legend (2001) and Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption (2010), have sold over 13 million copies, and each was adapted for film. Her writing style is distinct from New Journalism, dropping "verbal pyrotechnics" in favor of a stronger focus on the story itself.
Hillenbrand fell ill in college and was unable to complete her degree. She shared that experience in an award-winning essay, A Sudden Illness, published in The New Yorker in 2003. Her books were written while she was disabled by that illness. In a 2014 interview, Bob Schieffer said to Laura Hillenbrand: "To me your story – battling your disease... is as compelling as his (Louis Zamperini's) story." - Nationality
- USA
- Birthplace
- Fairfax, Virginia, USA
- Places of residence
- Fairfax, Virginia, USA
Washington, D.C., USA - Map Location
- Virginia, USA
Members
Reviews
Seabiscuit. An American Legend. I think the only reason I even know the horse's name is because of the movie they filmed a few years ago. I'm obviously not a horse-racing fan, right?
I don't even remember why I grabbed this at a library book sale. A friend here on GR must have given it a good review. But I am so glad I read this.
I've gotten much better about reading non-fiction over the past six months, but I was amazed at what a page-turner this was for me. I've been reading non-fiction show more before bed, thinking that would be a good time to squeeze it in because I wouldn't have to worry too much about getting caught up in the story and staying up all night. Bad move with this book. I was doing the "one more chapter" thing quite a bit.
It was just a perfect mix of an underdog story and excellent writing. Hillenbrand has a gift for putting you right into the action. Not knowing if Seabiscuit was going to win or lose any given race, my stomach would knot up and I would start reading faster as he came out of the gates. I was worried about injuries. I was furious with jockeys whom I thought were cheating. My heart pounded as Seabiscuit came down the home stretch and I read ahead to find out if he pulled it off this time. What the heck has happened to me?!? Where did the woman who thought "Non-fiction is boring" go?
This horse and his team are truly all-American legends. It seems that we love underdog stories and Seabiscuit, owner Charles Howard, trainer Tom Smith, and jockey Red Pollard were all underdogs at some point. Reading about their struggles and triumphs and, yes, even failures, was inspiring. If they can pull off something like this, why can't you or I?
I loved reading about Tom Smith's unending feud with the press. I worried over Pollard, the injury-prone, Shakespeare-quoting jockey. Seabiscuit's quirks amused me to no end--unless he was messing around with another horse as the finish line approached. Then I just wanted to yell at him, "Stop horsing around! Just finish the race!" (Sorry. I couldn't resist.)
Now that I've finished it, I've caught myself spouting off some random Seabiscuit trivia to my husband. "Oh, did you know that Seabiscuit hated to run on mud?" The Belmont Stakes was on tv. The track looked muddy. It seemed relevant. There was more, but I'll keep my own quirks to myself.
The whole match race thing with War Admiral had me a nervous wreck! I just watched the real race on YouTube and, wow! It gave me goosebumps! It was funny to see Seabiscuit's awkward stride after reading so much about it and to know about all the prep work and psychology that went into that race.
I just loved this book, and I can't say enough about it. So before I end up giving you a page-by-page summary and my reactions, just do us both a favor and go read it. show less
I don't even remember why I grabbed this at a library book sale. A friend here on GR must have given it a good review. But I am so glad I read this.
I've gotten much better about reading non-fiction over the past six months, but I was amazed at what a page-turner this was for me. I've been reading non-fiction show more before bed, thinking that would be a good time to squeeze it in because I wouldn't have to worry too much about getting caught up in the story and staying up all night. Bad move with this book. I was doing the "one more chapter" thing quite a bit.
It was just a perfect mix of an underdog story and excellent writing. Hillenbrand has a gift for putting you right into the action. Not knowing if Seabiscuit was going to win or lose any given race, my stomach would knot up and I would start reading faster as he came out of the gates. I was worried about injuries. I was furious with jockeys whom I thought were cheating. My heart pounded as Seabiscuit came down the home stretch and I read ahead to find out if he pulled it off this time. What the heck has happened to me?!? Where did the woman who thought "Non-fiction is boring" go?
This horse and his team are truly all-American legends. It seems that we love underdog stories and Seabiscuit, owner Charles Howard, trainer Tom Smith, and jockey Red Pollard were all underdogs at some point. Reading about their struggles and triumphs and, yes, even failures, was inspiring. If they can pull off something like this, why can't you or I?
I loved reading about Tom Smith's unending feud with the press. I worried over Pollard, the injury-prone, Shakespeare-quoting jockey. Seabiscuit's quirks amused me to no end--unless he was messing around with another horse as the finish line approached. Then I just wanted to yell at him, "Stop horsing around! Just finish the race!" (Sorry. I couldn't resist.)
Now that I've finished it, I've caught myself spouting off some random Seabiscuit trivia to my husband. "Oh, did you know that Seabiscuit hated to run on mud?" The Belmont Stakes was on tv. The track looked muddy. It seemed relevant. There was more, but I'll keep my own quirks to myself.
The whole match race thing with War Admiral had me a nervous wreck! I just watched the real race on YouTube and, wow! It gave me goosebumps! It was funny to see Seabiscuit's awkward stride after reading so much about it and to know about all the prep work and psychology that went into that race.
I just loved this book, and I can't say enough about it. So before I end up giving you a page-by-page summary and my reactions, just do us both a favor and go read it. show less
I was amazed by the resilience of Louis Zamperini. The description of the Japanese war camps was a real eye opener for me as I feel like much of the concentration on WWII focuses on the European front. It made me realize how far we've come in our relationships with the Japanese. I wonder how Zamperini and the other Pacific POWs felt about the light treatment of their captors? Howver, though I felt the book was well-written and held my attention, I found the endless descriptions of the show more horrible conditions and treatment to be relentless and wearing at times. I would have liked more about how Zamperini felt about what he was enduring. show less
Some forgotten number of years ago, I read a fascinating article about non-fiction writer Laura Hillenbrand when Unbroken was about to be released. It was about how she was able to meticulously research and write about WWII despite being unable to leave her house. I remember a man she interviewed for the book saying how he was sceptical of her hands-off research at first. A scepticism which turned into being awed by how she managed to capture the feelings of being in a submarine despite show more never visiting it.
Everybody loves an underdog story, and Seabiscuit is no exception. The story of its chance meetings and drama of horse racing are natural fodders for an interest piece in, say, a weekend newspaper. However, Hillenbrand turns what could otherwise be a page-filler into a superbly researched and excellently written tale where she shows that sometimes real life can be more outrageously amazing than fiction. She portrays Seabiscuit as beyond a mass of winning muscles and reveals the stubborn, cheeky, naughty, cocksure personality beneath - which might be accused of anthropomorphism if not for the anecdotal and circumstantial evidence but adds such an enjoyable dimension. Who knew that Seabiscuit had an animal posse!
As someone who is ethically/morally/wholeheartedly against horse racing, this exhilarating novel blew my convictions sideways for Seabiscuit. The adrenaline on every page compels me to actively make a fist with my right hand to stem my excitement for something that happened over eighty years ago. I'm still disgusted by the animal cruelty and casualty/injury rates of such a "sport" but while I'm reading, Laura Hillenbrand will make me feel like I'm right there in 1938 America, swept up and down by the celebrity mania that is Seabiscuit. show less
Everybody loves an underdog story, and Seabiscuit is no exception. The story of its chance meetings and drama of horse racing are natural fodders for an interest piece in, say, a weekend newspaper. However, Hillenbrand turns what could otherwise be a page-filler into a superbly researched and excellently written tale where she shows that sometimes real life can be more outrageously amazing than fiction. She portrays Seabiscuit as beyond a mass of winning muscles and reveals the stubborn, cheeky, naughty, cocksure personality beneath - which might be accused of anthropomorphism if not for the anecdotal and circumstantial evidence but adds such an enjoyable dimension. Who knew that Seabiscuit had an animal posse!
As someone who is ethically/morally/wholeheartedly against horse racing, this exhilarating novel blew my convictions sideways for Seabiscuit. The adrenaline on every page compels me to actively make a fist with my right hand to stem my excitement for something that happened over eighty years ago. I'm still disgusted by the animal cruelty and casualty/injury rates of such a "sport" but while I'm reading, Laura Hillenbrand will make me feel like I'm right there in 1938 America, swept up and down by the celebrity mania that is Seabiscuit. show less
Seabiscuit: an American Legend is a beautifully written book. The book tells the stories of the horse, Seabiscuit, and the people most close to him: his owner (Charles Howard), trainer (Tom Smith), and primary jockey (Red Pollard). Hillenbrand gives us a lot of detail about their lives, so that we feel like we know them. Her descriptions of their appearance is as vivid and detailed as you would find in a novel. In fact, the book reads like a novel. And the story of Seabiscuit is show more extraordinary. Short and unimpressive in appearance, he did not have the look of a champion. But with unexpected speed and heart, he was able to win races the experts did not believe that he could. He became wildly popular with the depression-era audiences, who loved his underdog story.
Hillenbrand masterfully recounts the stories of Seabiscuit's most important races, with an especially dramatic telling of the famous match race with War Admiral. We follow the lives of Seabiscuit, his owner, trainer, and jockey through all their ups and downs. This is truly a tale that if someone wrote it as fiction, no one would believe it.
Laura Hillenbrand completed an extraordinary amount of research in order to provide the rich details of the story. I am thankful that she was able to talk to so many who could provide eyewitness details before they were gone. A truly unforgettable book. show less
Hillenbrand masterfully recounts the stories of Seabiscuit's most important races, with an especially dramatic telling of the famous match race with War Admiral. We follow the lives of Seabiscuit, his owner, trainer, and jockey through all their ups and downs. This is truly a tale that if someone wrote it as fiction, no one would believe it.
Laura Hillenbrand completed an extraordinary amount of research in order to provide the rich details of the story. I am thankful that she was able to talk to so many who could provide eyewitness details before they were gone. A truly unforgettable book. show less
Lists
Olympians (1)
Female Author (1)
Best War Stories (1)
Read These Too (1)
To Read (1)
THE WAR ROOM (1)
Awards
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Statistics
- Works
- 6
- Also by
- 3
- Members
- 24,185
- Popularity
- #866
- Rating
- 4.3
- Reviews
- 793
- ISBNs
- 138
- Languages
- 13
- Favorited
- 20
