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Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand

When his Air Force bomber crashed into the Pacific ocean in 1943, Lieutenant Lois Zamperini dragged himself into a tiny life-raft and began an extraordinary journey across thousands of miles of open ocean. As a boy, Zamperini was a cunning and incorrigible delinquent, breaking into houses, brawling and fleeing his home to ride the rails. As a teenager he channelled his defiance into running, proving that he had a great talent for the sport. This talent took him to the Berlin Olympics and within sight of breaking the four minute mile.

When the war came, the athlete became an airman, embarking on a journey that led to his doomed flight, a tiny raft and adrift on a journey into the unknown. This journey would be his most dangerous yet, as he faced sharks, thirst and starvation. Then there were the constant threats of enemy aircraft, and a trial even grater than these.

Driven to the limits of endurance, Zamperini would answer desperation with ingenuity, suffering with hope resolve and humour. He would also answer brutality with rebellion. His fate, whether triumph or tragedy, would be suspended on the fraying wire of his will. Can it remain unbroken?

Laura Hillenbrand writes with the same rich and vivid narrative voice she displayed in Seabiscuit. She tells an unforgettable story of one man’s journey into extremity and adversity. Unbroken is a testament to the resilience of the human mind, body and spirit. It is an inspiring and moving tale. It also shows the hardships faced by POWs at the hands of the Japanese. She captures not only one man’s story, but those of the men who were in the same predicament vividly, giving readers the wider picture, while telling of one man’s thoughts and deeds.

RRP $39.99
Published and distributed by HarperCollins Publishers under the Fourth Estate title
 

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