Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption (2010)

by Laura Hillenbrand

Other authors: See the other authors section.

Members	Reviews	Popularity	Average rating	Mentions
11,242	573	525	(4.44)	500
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--Lt. Louis Zamperini. Captured by the Japanese and driven to the limits of endurance, Zamperini would answer desperation with ingenuity; suffering with hope, resolve, and humor.… (more)

all members

▾Members

Recently added by

NaomiGoegan, samanthascruton, Tom.Schneitter, cathy.lemann, kabsmith, KristinSwaving, susiemarlo, AngiCox, IanGrantham

▾Tags

▾LibraryThing Recommendations

▾Member recommendations

50
Ghost Soldiers: The Epic Account of World War II's Greatest Rescue Mission by Hampton Sides (phm)
phm: Nonfiction but reads like fiction and tells of a heroic plot by US Rangers to rescue Allied soldiers from a Japanese POW camp.
30
The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel James Brown (terran)
terran: Both books deal with participants in the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin and with personal stories of individuals growing up in that time period. Both are incredible true stories that read like fiction.
30
The Long Walk: The True Story of a Trek to Freedom by Sławomir Rawicz (clif_hiker)
20
Tears in the Darkness: The Story of the Bataan Death March and Its Aftermath by Michael Norman (TooBusyReading)
TooBusyReading: Another remarkable story about survival during WWII, about what humans can do to one another.
20
Flyboys: A True Story of Courage by James Bradley (whymaggiemay)
whymaggiemay: both examine prisoners of the Pacific islands
10
The Forgotten 500: The Untold Story of the Men Who Risked All for the Greatest Rescue Mission of World War II by Gregory A. Freeman (HistoryNutToo)
10
A Train in Winter: An Extraordinary Story of Women, Friendship, and Resistance in Occupied France by Caroline Moorehead (srdr)
srdr: A well-told story with similar themes…WW II survival, friendship under difficult conditions.
10
Devil at My Heels by Louis Zamperini (Stbalbach)
Stbalbach: Louis Zamperini's autobiography published in 2003, with intro by John McCain.
10
We Die Alone: A WWII Epic of Escape and Endurance by David Howarth (srdr)
srdr: Jan Baalsrud's incredible survival and escape from Nazi-occupied arctic Norway.
11
So Close to Home: A True Story of an American Family's Fight for Survival During World War II by Michael J. Tougias (Othemts)
00
Frozen in Time: An Epic Story of Survival and a Modern Quest for Lost Heroes of World War II by Mitchell Zuckoff (srdr)
srdr: A gripping, non-fiction story of a WW II airplane crash on Greenland.
00
Road to Valor: A True Story of WWII Italy, the Nazis, and the Cyclist Who Inspired a Nation by Aili McConnon (sboyte)
sboyte: Athletes and their experiences in the second World War.
00
Once Upon a Town by Bob Greene (cransell)
cransell: An uplifting true story about World War II. Perhaps a good read after the harsh experiences in Unbroken.
00
What It Is Like to Go to War by Karl Marlantes (TooBusyReading)
TooBusyReading: Based on the author's experiences, starting with the Vietnam war. Gave me lots of insight into war and warriors.

▾Lists

Recommend the 20 best books you've read in the last five years (55)

Top Five Books of 2014 (19)

Top Five Books of 2013 (105)

» 27 more

Best Biographies, Autobiographies and Memoirs (34)

Non-Fiction Worth Reading (66)

Stories of War and Revolution (18)

100 books to read in a lifetime (95)

Pleasant Surprises: Books That Exceeded Our Expectations (100)

Read the book and saw the movie (508)

Best War Stories (30)

Books About World War II (45)

Carole's List (83)

Five star books (411)

Books Read in 2015 (1,491)

Books Read in 2014 (1,246)

Books about World War II (145)

Books Set in Germany (49)

Olympians (6)

100 Biographies and Memoirs to Read in a (Single) Lifetime (48)

Books To Get From The Library (41)

Perspectives Book Club Picks (13)

History can be Interesting (or Horrifying or Fun...) (14)

Best Survival Stories (55)

Books Read in 2012 (125)

Books Tagged Abuse (68)

Independent Reading Suggestions (50)

Books for HS summer reading (12)

Most Frequently Tagged "Read in 2015" (26)

Indie Next Picks (81)

Mind Expanding Books by hackerkid (226)

▾Will you like it?

▾Conversations (About links)

No current Talk conversations about this book.

» See also 500 mentions

▾Member reviews

English (570) Indonesian (1) All languages (571)

date ▼ | votes

Showing 1-5 of 570 (next | show all)

Wow. _Unbroken_ tells a powerful story of the life of one World War II bombardier. The story was eye-opening in so many ways. It was difficult to listen to at times, but incredibly hopeful in the end. (

)

CarolHicksCase | Mar 12, 2023 |

If you’ve only watched the movie his story is not told in all it’s glory. Probably because he finds his peace through God. The redemption of his life is equally as important as the courage and perseverance he and others took to survive.

(

)

linusnc | Feb 18, 2023 |

Not only an extraordinary story but also an excellent audio book. The reader is actor Edward Hermann; I will look for more books read by him. About the story, many of the images from it will always be with me. It's hard to believe it's true, it's so fantastic. A truly wonderful (and at times horrific) tale. Hillenbrand weaves a tapestry of words in her book. Definitely recommend. (

)

TeresaBlock | Feb 14, 2023 |

Very much enjoyed most of the book I found I was pretty well engaged throughout most of the book but once the war was over and I listened for several more hours about the aftermath - particularly the Billy Graham portions - I found my interest nearly non-existent.

Truly what these men went through was harrowing and it would have been impossible for any of them to have even a glimmer of a peaceful recovery.

The writing was good, as one would expect from this author, but there were many things that were repeated and, after a while, I felt like the book was overly long.

Overall, I'm happy I read it and my interest in all things WWII has been rekindled.

I'd go 3.5 (

)

amcheri | Jan 5, 2023 |

Detailed story about a man with an amazing life. Not my kind of book, and I wouldn't have read it if it hadn't been for my book club, but I'm glad to have finished it. Can't believe how some people can overcome anything put in their path. (

)

steve02476 | Jan 3, 2023 |

date ▼ | votes

Showing 1-5 of 570 (next | show all)

▾Published reviews

2 reviews

add a review

thingScore 100

"Anyone who enjoyed Hillenbrand's previous book, Seabiscuit, will know that she has a fine line in compelling narrative. Unbroken is no different: meticulously researched and powerful. The reader, unlike the airmen, would rather the days adrift went on longer. They end, however, in grim style. Zamperini and fellow survivor are in sight of land when they are captured by Japanese forces. The Red Cross, however, is never informed and the two are declared dead."

added by Kayla1318 | editwww.theguardian.com, Kevin Rushby (Feb 18, 2011)

The ideal way to read “Unbroken” would be with absolutely no knowledge of how Mr. Zamperini’s life unfolded. Ms. Hillenbrand has written her book so breathlessly, and with such tight focus, that she makes it difficult to guess what will happen to him from one moment to the next, let alone how long he was able to survive under extreme duress...So “Unbroken” is a celebration of gargantuan fortitude, that of both Ms. Hillenbrand (whose prose shatters any hint of her debilitating fatigue) and Mr. Zamperini’s. It manages to be as exultant as “Seabiscuit” as it tells a much more harrowing, less heart-warming story.

added by vancouverdeb | editNew York Times

▾Other authors

» Add other authors

Author name	Role	Type of author	Work?	Status
Hillenbrand, Laura	—	primary author	all editions	confirmed
Herrmann, Edward	Narrator	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Panodal, Jean-François	Translator	secondary author	some editions	confirmed

▾Series and work relationships

Has the adaptation

Unbroken (The Young Adult Adaptation): An Olympian's Journey from Airman to Castaway to Captive by Laura Hillenbrand

Unbroken [2014 film] by Angelina Jolie

Has as a student's study guide

Summary of Unbroken -- A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand by SAVE TIME SUMMARIES

view history

▾Common Knowledge

You must log in to edit Common Knowledge data.

For more help see the Common Knowledge help page.

Canonical title

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

Original title

Alternative titles

Original publication date

People/Characters

Important places

Torrance, California, USA

Berlin, Germany

Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, USA

(show all 12 items)

Important events

Olympic Games (1936)

World War II (1939 | 1945)

World War II, Pacific Theater (1941-12-07 | 1945-09-02)

Related movies

Unbroken (2014 | IMDb)

Awards and honors

Publishers Weekly’s Top 10 Best Books (2010)

New York Times bestseller (Nonfiction, 2010)

Time Magazine's Best Books of the Year (2010.20 | Non-fiction | 1)

Los Angeles Times Book Prize (Biography, 2010)

Indies Choice Book Award (Adult Non-fiction, 2011)

(show all 17 items)

Epigraph

What stays with you latest and deepest? of curious panics,
Of hard-fought engagements or sieges tremendous what
deepest remains?

--Walt Whitman, "The Wound-Dresser"

Dedication

For the wounded and the lost.

First words

[Preface] All he could see, in every direction, was water. It was June 22, 1943. Somewhere on the Pacific Ocean, American military airman and Olympic runner Louie Zamperini lay on a small raft, drifting.

In the predawn darkness of August 26, 1929, in the back bedroom of a small house in Torrance, California, a twelve-year-old boy sat up in bed, listening.

[Epilogue] On a June day in 1952, just off a winding road in California's San Gabriel Mountains, a mess of boys tumbled out of a truck and stood blinking in the sunshine.

Quotations

Last words

(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)

Disambiguation notice

Do not combine with Unbroken (The Young Adult Adaptation): An Olympian's Journey from Airman to Castaway to Captive.

Publisher's editors

Blurbers

Skloot, Rebecca

McDougall, Christopher

Corrigan, Maureen

Original language

Information from the French Common Knowledge. Edit to localize it to your language.

Anglais (Etats-Unis)

Canonical DDC/MDS

Canonical LCC

▾References

References to this work on external resources.

Wikipedia in English (5)

Louis Zamperini

Mutsuhiro Watanabe

Unbroken (film)

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

William Frederick Harris

▾Book descriptions

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--Lt. Louis Zamperini. Captured by the Japanese and driven to the limits of endurance, Zamperini would answer desperation with ingenuity; suffering with hope, resolve, and humor.

▾Library descriptions

No library descriptions found.

▾LibraryThing members' description

Book description

This book is an eye-opening and awe-inspiring tale told about the horror of war and the challenges that some of the men had to endure. Featuring Louis Zamperini, this book describes some of the terror he had to experience as a POW to the Japanese in WWII.

Haiku summary