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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'
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' 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'
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'A meticulous, soaring and beautifully written account of an extraordinary life.''--The Washington Post'
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'Ambitious and powerful . . . a startling narrative and an inspirational book.''--The New York Times Book Review'
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'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] Hillenbra