Customer Reviews for Random House, Inc Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption
Random House, Inc Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption
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.
Average Customer Rating:
(18 Reviews) 18
Rating Snapshot (18 reviews)
5 stars
18
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18 out of 18100%customers would recommend this product to a friend.
Customer Reviews for Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption
Review 1 for Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption
Overall Rating:
An amazing biography of historical value
Date:May 3, 2013
Sue Bradshaw
Location:aumsville
Age:Over 65
Gender:female
Quality:
5
out of
5
Value:
5
out of
5
Meets Expectations:
5
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5
This book should be in every home in America. It is classic literature. I find the young author utterly amazing, in that she never met Louie until the book was published because of her invalid condition. Not only it is this book an amazing biography of Louie Zamparini, an Olympic track star, and a World War II war hero of several Purple Hearts, but it also gives us a much needed historical record of our devastating war in the Pacific with the devious, persistent Japanese. It is a book, not only of our survival and patriotism as a nation during this Greater Generation, but one that ultimately demonstrates how one can come to know the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Savior in spite of all of the atrocities, and forgive those who so brutally attacked him. The last lesson is the most important victory of all----one's eternal salvation.
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Review 2 for Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption
Overall Rating:
Date:April 17, 2013
Karenmaran
Location:Clovis, CA
Age:55-65
Gender:female
Quality:
5
out of
5
Value:
5
out of
5
Meets Expectations:
5
out of
5
The ultimate portrayal of endurance and amazing grace of redemption.
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Review 3 for Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption
Overall Rating:
ThIs is an excellent book.
Date:February 21, 2013
GeGe
Location:Arkansas
Age:55-65
Gender:female
Quality:
5
out of
5
Value:
5
out of
5
Meets Expectations:
5
out of
5
Great book at a great price. I received it in a good amount of time.
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Review 4 for Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption
Overall Rating:
Everyone should read this book.
Date:January 11, 2013
Nancy
Location:Cambridge, MN
Age:45-54
Gender:female
Quality:
5
out of
5
Value:
5
out of
5
Meets Expectations:
5
out of
5
Everyone should read this book. The story is absolutely riveting from beginning to end. I have greater appreciation for the men and women who served in the military during WWII.
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Review 5 for Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption
Overall Rating:
Struck Down...but not Destroyed
Date:December 17, 2012
Quality:
5
out of
5
Value:
5
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5
Meets Expectations:
5
out of
5
Unbroken is the story of Louis Zamperini. I had never heard the name before. A dear friend of mine loaned me the book to read.
I am a fast reader but this book has taken me a while to finish. Yes, it is a long book but that is not why it has taken me some time to finish. I could only read a chapter a night because of the intense pain and suffering described in this book. I do not tell you this to deter you from reading it. I believe every American should read this book. It is the biography of a hero of our country.
Louis Zamperini first became famous as a runner. Since I used to do long distance running myself, I was interested in this aspect of the story as well. Because he was living during a time of war in the 1940s he served in our military. This is his story of an unimagineable life as a POW in Japan. The suffering he endured was beyond what anyone should endure. Yet, somehow he survived…and is in fact still living today!
What an amazing story this man has…yes, it is a story of pain and suffering…but more than that it is a story of strength and hope and victory.
For WWII buffs, history lovers, runners, and patriots…this is one of those books that you must read. For those going through a time of suffering, agony, pain, sorrow…this is one of those books that will resonate. I am going to purchase my own copy because the one I read is borrowed.
Ending my book review portion of this post here…but going on to say that with the suffering the families in Connecticut are dealing with right now I am assured more than ever that there is only one answer to how to deal with suffering. The answer is found in Psalm 34:18
The Lord is near to the brokenhearted; He saves those crushed in spirit.
And here in Isaiah 53:5
But He was pierced because of our transgressions, crushed because of our iniquities; punishment for our peace was on Him, and we are healed by His wounds.
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Review 6 for Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption
Overall Rating:
Excellent Book
Date:November 26, 2012
Spice
Location:Morrison, CO
Age:Over 65
Gender:male
Quality:
5
out of
5
Value:
5
out of
5
Meets Expectations:
5
out of
5
I really like this book, great story and reminds me of when I was in the Air Force. Great Book.
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Review 7 for Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption
Overall Rating:
Can't put it down
Date:September 18, 2012
Hawkeye
Location:Roseville Ca
Age:55-65
Gender:female
Quality:
5
out of
5
Value:
5
out of
5
Meets Expectations:
5
out of
5
I loved this book ... I could not put it down .... my Dad was a gunner also but his planes flew over Germany ...
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Review 8 for Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption
Overall Rating:
Amazing true story!
Date:August 23, 2012
Quality:
5
out of
5
Value:
5
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Meets Expectations:
5
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5
Laura Hillenbrand's book "Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption" is an amazingly written, true story about a man named Louis Zamperini. It is a very interesting and informative book about Zamerini's life and about World War II.
This book follows Zamperini's life from childhood up to old age, with specific focus on his accomplishments as a runner/Olympian and his experiences of surviving a WWII plane crash in the ocean and being a prisoner of war for over 2 years. Zamperini was a very determined man with incredible focus. What he experienced while floating on the open ocean for 47 days, and then as a prisoner of war, will break your heart and give you a deep respect for such a strong man.
Hillenbrand writes after very thorough research, to tell an amazing story that will touch your heart. She gives very informative background on World War II and the people who are a part of Zamperini's story. She is a great story teller, and Zamperini's life certainly is an amazing, yet hard, life.
This book was given to me at no charge by the publisher in exchange for my honest review.
This book was given to me at no charge by the publisher in exchange for my honest review.
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Review 9 for Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption
Overall Rating:
UNBROKEN... a review
Date:August 3, 2012
Quality:
5
out of
5
Value:
4
out of
5
Meets Expectations:
5
out of
5
I was really, really looking forward to getting “UNBROKEN” to read, and I was not disappointed. This captivating book tells the story of Louis Zamperini, from his days as a delinquent child to Olympic runner, WWI pilot to his imprisonment as a POW in a Japanese prison camp, and his spiritual journey to where he forgave his captors!
One note, I definitely wouldn’t recommend it for anyone younger than 13 or 14 years old due to some of the chapters where Louie was in the POW camps, as there’s some “PG-13” content there- but for anyone older it is an excellent and worthwhile read. I couldn’t put it down! This book was really good.
Thank you to WaterBrook Multnomah for providing a complimentary copy of “UNBROKEN” for me to read in exchange for my honest review!
One note, I definitely wouldn’t recommend it for anyone younger than 13 or 14 years old due to some of the chapters where Louie was in the POW camps, as there’s some “PG-13” content there- but for anyone older it is an excellent and worthwhile read. I couldn’t put it down! This book was really good.
Thank you to WaterBrook Multnomah for providing a complimentary copy of “UNBROKEN” for me to read in exchange for my honest review!
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Review 10 for Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption
Overall Rating:
Unbroken
Date:August 2, 2012
dyand
Location:Lancaster, NY
Age:45-54
Gender:female
Quality:
5
out of
5
Value:
5
out of
5
Meets Expectations:
5
out of
5
Laura Hillenbrand’s book UNBROKEN is a biography of the life of Louie Zamperini, an Olympic gold medal runner, but more importantly an American Soldier during WWII. The book starts at his birth and takes you through his entire life. At first I didn’t really care for the story as I did not know who this person was and thought he was a really rotten child and troubled person overall. I was wondering why this part of the book was even necessary and couldn’t wait to get through to the WWII portion of the story. Once I got to the part where he is drafted and trained as a bombardier, it still seemed to me to be taking quite a while to get to what the book was supposed to actually be about – a person whose plane crashed into the Pacific, and how they survived being lost at sea; but this book is so much more than that. The story is amazing.
I had never read about what the soldiers went through or even though about it, it was something that fortunately had never touched my life, but this story gave me a totally different perspective and appreciation of what these men went through in protecting our country. I was not expecting what I read. I found myself staying up until ridiculous hours reading because I did not want to put the book down; even though what I was reading was making me very sad. There was one point where I had to stop reading because it actually was so creepy, I wanted to wait and continue reading in the daylight – this was just before the chapter entitled “Monster”, and I was glad I waited. It was shocking to me what people will do to one another and disheartening. Each time I thought the Japanese could not possibly do anything worse to the men, they did. And the thing that made me most sad was that this was all true and had actually happened.
The best part, for me was toward the end when Louie finally pulls it all together and uses all the bad things that had happened in his life, for good. He finds the place he needs to be, and helps others in ways he never could have, had he not lived the life he did. Even his wrong doings in his youth were a driving force in later helping others. I don’t want to give away too many specifics and ruin the read for you. If nothing else, it will give you a better appreciation of what many soldiers had to deal with, and why we should be praying for them each and every day. If you decide to pick this book up – I promise you will be happy you read it, and you will have a hard time putting it down until you get to the end.
I received this book free from Water Brook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.
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Review 11 for Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption
Overall Rating:
An amazing life story
Date:August 2, 2012
Quality:
5
out of
5
Value:
5
out of
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Meets Expectations:
5
out of
5
I really enjoyed this story about Louis Zamperini's life. I will say I really had no idea who he was before I read the book but his life's story was quite amazing. i thought the book flowed nicely not spending too much time on any one stage of his life. The resolve this man had to survive was truly inspiring. It is hard to imagine the conditions the POW's were living in during WWII. It really was comparable to the concentration camps in Europe going on at the same time. I still have a hard time believing he survived through all those beatings he took especially when his body was starving at the same time. The fact that he was able to forgive the man who caused most of torment was truly an act of God. Even though this isn't written from a Christian author and his conversion to Christianity is only touched on you can still see how turning his life over to Christ finally gave him the freedom to forgive and he went on to help others. Mr. Zamperini really has an amazing story and I would recommend this to anyone.
I received this book free from blogging for books program in exchange for my review
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Review 12 for Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption
Overall Rating:
Undone By Unbroken
Date:July 30, 2012
Quality:
5
out of
5
Value:
5
out of
5
Meets Expectations:
5
out of
5
I was undone by reading Unbroken. Really. I lost sleep, staying up late reading (the only quiet time around here with two babies anyway), enthralled. I decided to go a day without eating at all, completely undone by what World War ll POWs went through in Japan, and feeling the need to show my respect for them as men somehow.
The storytelling of this author was so good I really felt I was there watching in first person. I was tired after reading about races; my skin crawled, I smelled fear! I shivered in the cold sea and was terrified by the sharks day and night... I was also crying tears of joy and sorrow along with some of the mothers.
I'll tell you what, I have read some really and truly good books this summer, but this- well, this one is brilliant. This one should be used in schools to help with the study of A.) the Olympics B.) World War ll, C). pilots, bombers, Japan, or any number of related topics for that time and war.
The storytelling of this author was so good I really felt I was there watching in first person. I was tired after reading about races; my skin crawled, I smelled fear! I shivered in the cold sea and was terrified by the sharks day and night... I was also crying tears of joy and sorrow along with some of the mothers.
I'll tell you what, I have read some really and truly good books this summer, but this- well, this one is brilliant. This one should be used in schools to help with the study of A.) the Olympics B.) World War ll, C). pilots, bombers, Japan, or any number of related topics for that time and war.
In short, it's a real story about a real man that illustrates just how true it really is that a strong will can overcome much more than the human body should be able. A true story of humans in a time of war that became so brutal and beastly and evil that it boggles the mind until you remember what people can become apart from Jesus.
What Louie Zamperini lived through- what other POWs transported to Japan lived through, will stay with me forever. For those who didn't survive those terrible days, my heart hurts and my resprct is duly given.
What Louie Zamperini lived through- what other POWs transported to Japan lived through, will stay with me forever. For those who didn't survive those terrible days, my heart hurts and my resprct is duly given.
A true tale of redemption, a thrilling and frightening journey, I wouldn't have missed this one!
Inspirational is ua understatement.
You can get a copy from CBD or any place books are sold.
You can get a copy from CBD or any place books are sold.
*I was given a free copy of this book by the publisher in order to read it and write an unbiased review.
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Review 13 for Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption
Overall Rating:
This book was more than I expected.
Date:July 17, 2012
Mary Ellen
Location:Vicksburg, MS
Age:Over 65
Gender:female
Quality:
5
out of
5
Value:
5
out of
5
Meets Expectations:
5
out of
5
I have a renewed appreciation for our greatest generation and all veterans. What they go through is unbelievable.
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Review 14 for Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption
Overall Rating:
A story of great obstacles overcome
Date:March 23, 2012
Jill
Location:Medford, NJ
Age:Over 65
Gender:female
Quality:
5
out of
5
Value:
5
out of
5
Meets Expectations:
5
out of
5
What an inspirational story! When we have lost a little comfort, we are upset. Let us then call to mind what Louie Zamperini went through. However, it was plain to see that God had a great plan for Louie's life, and it is worked out within this book in an amazing story. It almost seems like it must be fiction, and then you remember it's not fiction; it's a true story of the almost unbelievable life of a real man--Louie Zamperini.
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Review 15 for Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption
Overall Rating:
Date:January 9, 2012
Beryl Pearson
Location:Issaquah, WA
Age:Over 65
Gender:female
Quality:
5
out of
5
Value:
4
out of
5
Meets Expectations:
5
out of
5
This book was riveting from beginning to end. I made the mistake of starting it in the middle of the Christmas season, but couldn't put it down except for devotion time. Hildenbrand's research was voluminous. I wouldn't reccomend it for the faint at heart because it was quite graphic.
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Review 16 for Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption
Overall Rating:
A book that puts everyday life into perspective.
Date:December 2, 2011
joe f
Quality:
5
out of
5
The story is riveting. Just when you think that it is going to end on a down note with the hero of the book falling into the throws of alcohol and depression after everything he has been through, it takes a turn and becomes a story of forgiveness and redemption. This is an absolute must read!
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Review 17 for Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption
Overall Rating:
Excellent read
Date:November 27, 2011
kkbigdogs
Gender:female
An amazing, nearly unbelievable story about a man, still alive today, and his life as a soldier, olympic runner, and much more. You will not be able to put this book down.
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Review 18 for Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption
Overall Rating:
This book has a great ending!
Date:November 15, 2011
Joni
Location:Canton,NC
Age:25-34
Gender:female
Quality:
4
out of
5
Value:
4
out of
5
Meets Expectations:
4
out of
5
This book contains a lot of info about WWII as well as a great story. I really enjoyed it.
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