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

by Laura Hillenbrand Narrated by Edward Herrmann

Overview

In this captivating young adult edition of her award-winning #1 New York Times bestseller, Laura Hillenbrand tells the story of a former Olympian's courage, cunning, and fortitude following his plane crash in enemy territory. This adaptation of Unbroken introduces a new generation to one of history's most thrilling survival epics. 

On a May afternoon in 1943, an American military plane 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 sagas of the Second World War.

The lieutenant's name was Louis Zamperini. As a boy, he had been a clever delinquent, breaking into houses, brawling, and stealing. As a teenager, he had channeled his defiance into running, discovering a supreme talent that carried him to the Berlin Olympics. But when war came, the athlete became 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 sinking raft, thirst and starvation, enemy aircraft, and, beyond, a trial even greater. Driven to the limits of endurance, Zamperini would respond to desperation with ingenuity, suffering with hope and humor, brutality with rebellion. His fate, whether triumph or tragedy, would hang on the fraying wire of his will.

Featuring an exclusive interview with Zamperini, this breathtaking odyssey-also captured on film by director Angelina Jolie-is a testament to the strength of the human spirit and the ability to endure against the unlikeliest of odds.

Editorial Reviews

The New York Times Book Review - Nina Burleigh

Hillenbrand is a true master of the English language…and her writerly skill is delivered with a feel for the eras in which the book unfolds by [Edward] Herrmann's orotund, World War II radio announcer voice, his accent just slightly out of time.

From the Publisher

This adaptation of Hillenbrand’s adult best-seller is highly dramatic and exciting, as well as painful to read as it lays bare man’s hellish inhumanity to man.”—Booklist, STARRED

"This captivating book emphasizes the importance of determination, the will to survive against impossible odds, and support from family and friends. A strong, well-written work."—SLJ

"This fine adaptation ably brings an inspiring tale to young readers."—Kirkus

"A humdinger of a page-turner: a noble story about the courage of America's Greatest Generation, personified."—The Horn Book Review
 

OCTOBER 2014 - AudioFile

Narrator Edward Herrmann never gets in the way of this story of WWII heroism, survival, and redemption. His voice is so compelling that the narrative flows smoothly and engagingly. The author is a magazine journalist, so the text itself is especially listener-friendly. In this young listener version, some of the most harrowing sequences and historical background passages are left out or abridged, but the scope and dramatic arc of the story remain. This production will have listeners driving round and round the block, unable to turn it off. R.C.G. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award, 2016 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine

Kirkus Reviews

2014-08-20
In response to requests from teachers and school librarians, Hillenbrand offers a young-readers' edition of her best-selling World War II tale of survival. Louis Zamperini grew up in California and was headed toward juvenile delinquency. He smoked at 5, drank at 8, and went on to stealing and pranking, until older brother Pete got Louis into something more productive: running. Louis eventually became a world-class runner, ultimately competing at the 1936 Olympics. With World War II looming, Louis joined the Army Air Corps, and it was with the downing of his B-24 bomber that his harrowing journey began. Adrift in the Pacific Ocean in a raft, attacked by sharks, brutalized as a POW in Japanese slave-labor camps, Louis' is a tale of survival against all odds. This solid adaptation is half the length of the original, more visual (with more, and sometimes larger, photographs), less descriptive and swifter paced, and it avoids such adult themes as the sexual sadism of evil Cpl. Watanabe, the man so intent on destroying Louis in the POW camp outside Tokyo. A fascinating appended interview with Louis Zamperini explores issues of survival and heroism. This fine adaptation ably brings an inspiring tale to younger readers. (notes, index [not seen]) (Nonfiction. 12 & up)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940169351323
Publisher:	Penguin Random House
Publication date:	11/11/2014
Edition description:	Unabridged
Sales rank:	1,237,009

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