Essays on Unbroken

November 16, 2010

Laura Hillenbrand

Biography

Louis Zamperini, Pete Zamperini, Louise Zamperini, Anthony Zamperini, Sylvia Zamperini, Virginia Zamperini, Glenn Cunningham, James Kunichi Sasaki, Russell Allen Phillips, Francis McNamara, Gaga, The Quack, William Harris, Mutsuhiro Watanabe, Cynthia Applewhite Zamperini, Billy Graham

November 16, 2010, by Laura Hillenbrand

Biography

Unbroken is a biography of World War II veteran Louis Zamperini, a former Olympic track star who survived a plane crash in the Pacific Theater, spent 47 days drifting on a raft, and then survived more than two and a half years as a prisoner of war (POW) in three Japanese POW camps.

Inspired by the story Come on SeaBiscuit in childhood, as an adult Hillenbrand wrote Seabiscuit: An American Legend (2001). While researching that novel, Hillenbrand came across a 1938 newspaper article about Louis Zamperini. The discovery led Hillenbrand to tell the story of Louis Zamperini's experience as a prisoner of war (POW) during World War II.

Hillenbrand’s subtitle for Unbroken is “a World War II story of survival, resilience and redemption”, and all three themes combine into one overarching message of human dignity. As Louie struggled to survive circumstances of unmitigated suffering, he was able to preserve his own dignity and to help others in a similar situation do the same.

Louis Zamperini, Pete Zamperini, Louise Zamperini, Anthony Zamperini, Sylvia Zamperini, Virginia Zamperini, Glenn Cunningham, James Kunichi Sasaki, Russell Allen Phillips, Francis McNamara, Gaga, The Quack, William Harris, Mutsuhiro Watanabe, Cynthia Applewhite Zamperini, Billy Graham

Soon after its publication, the book was praised on the New York Times Bestseller list and remained on the list for a consecutive 160 weeks; To this day the book has sold well over 4 million copies. A feature film based on the book was adapted by Universal Pictures and Legendary Pictures.The film had its general release on Christmas 2014 to mixed reviews but was a box office success.

“Without dignity, identity is erased.”
“A lifetime of glory is worth a moment of pain.”
“Dignity is as essential to human life as water, food, and oxygen.”