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

In boyhood, Louis Zamperini was an incorrigible delinquent. As a teenager, he channeled his defiance into running, discovering a prodigious talent that had carried him to the Berlin Olympics. But when World War II began, the athlete became an airman, embarking on a journey that led to a doomed flight on a May afternoon in 1943. When his Army Air Forces bomber crashed into the Pacific Ocean, against all odds, Zamperini survived, adrift on a foundering life raft. Ahead of Zamperini lay thousands of miles of open ocean, leaping sharks, 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.
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Community Reviews
Unbelievable, unimaginable, unbearable. I can not believe the pain and violence one human can force upon another human. This book was so good and so sad. I am so glad that Louis was unbroken with god in his life.
Fascinating story of an incredible human being. Well researched and written, although at times it dragged a bit. Very inspirational story. Highly recommended.
The wonder of this book is not Louie's incredible life (which is beyond inspiring), but how long this book stayed at the top of the best seller list. It didn't stay there for the writing style which I found to be choppy and devoid of passion/life. So while the story of Louie's life is 5 stars, Hillenbrand's writing is 3 stars.
This took me a while to read. It's the story of Louis Zamperini, a fighter pilot in WWII who spent 47 days drifting in a raft to then being captured by Japanese. It tells of his hardship as a POW and rescue at the end of the war. His hardship in coming home and how a night at a Billy Graham revival turned his life around.
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