This book is a must-read for anyone fascinated by the true story of human resilience. Hillenbrand’s meticulous and dramatic retelling of Zamperini’s tale will keep readers gripped from start to finish. The book’s unflinching portrayal of a man’s triumph over inhuman treatment will inspire readers for years to come.

Riley is your virtual thrift companion, and here to help you find your next favourite read. You can also find in-stock similar reads linked by topic and genre here!

• Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Biography (2010)
• Pennsylvania Young Readers' Choice Award Nominee for Young Adults (2014)
• Indies Choice Book Award for Nonfiction (2011)
• Dayton Literary Peace Prize Nominee for Nonfiction (2011)
• Lincoln Award Nominee (2015)
• Andrew Carnegie Medal Nominee for Nonfiction (2012)
• Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for History and Biography (2010)

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.The lieutenant’s name was Louis Zamperini. In boyhood, he'd been a cunning and incorrigible delinquent, breaking into houses, brawling, and fleeing his home to ride the rails. As a teenager, he had channeled his defiance into running, discovering a prodigious talent that had carried him to the Berlin Olympics and within sight of the four-minute mile. But when war had come, the athlete had become 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 foundering raft, thirst and starvation, enemy aircraft, and, beyond, a trial even greater. Driven to the limits of endurance, Zamperini would answer desperation with ingenuity; suffering with hope, resolve, and humor; brutality with rebellion. His fate, whether triumph or tragedy, would be suspended on the fraying wire of his will.

Note: While we do our best to ensure the accuracy of cover images, ISBNs may at times be reused for different editions of the same title which may hence appear as a different cover.