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Wow. I just finished the audio book of Unbroken - A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand (author of Seabiscuit), and I think endurance athletes are going to love it. It's a biography of Louis Zamperini, a miler/5k runner who competed in the 1936 Berlin Olympics as the youngest US athlete to make the team, and then went on to a life of staggering tests of courage and endurance like going to WWII, 47 days lost at sea, and years as a savagely abused prisoner of war in Japan. If you thought ultrarunning was hard, wait until you hear this insane story of survival.


This book baited me with stories of Zamp's troubled youth and how running helped pull him out, and the detail of every step is much like Hillenbrand's other books. It keeps for a brisk audio pace that makes for good commuting or treadmill running. I should warn you, however, that the dozen or so detailed chapters of his harrowing days in the POW camps are simply shocking. His main adversary, a POW Camp iron hand named "The Bird", was so scary he even showed up in MY dreams. On more than one occasion, I nearly tripped over my jaw as it hit the ground as the details of his torture went on and on with rich and vivid narrative. It shows you what real courage and persistence is.

This one is a keeper for sure. Put it on your list for all that winter treadmill running! Or you can just wait for the movie - Universal Studios has already bought the rights.

Here's a CBS special about him too (part 1 of 4):




On a side note, the story of Laura Hillenbrand making this book is also a tale of unique persistence and courage. She suffers from chronic fatigue syndrome, and rarely makes it out of her house. Assembling this book took nearly 10 years.