“In World War II, 35,933 AAF planes were lost in combat and accidents. The surprise of the attrition rate is that only a fraction of the ill-fated planes were lost in combat. In 1943 in the Pacific Ocean Areas theater… — Laura Hillenbrand Copy Share Image
“ALL HE COULD SEE, IN EVERY DIRECTION, WAS WATER. It was June 23, 1943. Somewhere on the endless expanse of the Pacific Ocean, Army Air Forces bombardier and Olympic runner Louie Zamperini lay across a small raft, drifting westward. Slumped… — Laura Hillenbrand Copy Share Image
The paradox of vengefulness is that it makes men dependent upon those who have harmed them, believing that their release from pain will come… — Laura Hillenbrand Copy Share Image
“The racehorse, by virtue of his awesome physical gifts, freed the jockey from himself. When a horse and a jockey flew over the track… — Laura Hillenbrand Copy Share Image
“It was not a great presence but a great absence, a geometric ocean of darkness that seemed to swallow heaven itself.” — Laura Hillenbrand Copy Share Image
“In September 1942, a B-17 crashed in the Pacific, stranding nine men on a raft. Within a few days, one had died and the… — Laura Hillenbrand Copy Share Image
“What God asks of men, said Graham, is faith. His invisibility is the truest test of that faith. To know who sees him, God… — Laura Hillenbrand Copy Share Image
Louie and Seabiscuit were both Californians and both on the sports pages in the 1930s. I was fascinated. When I learned about his World… — Laura Hillenbrand Copy Share Image
“Though the captives' resistance was dangerous, through such acts, dignity was preserved, and through dignity, life itself.” — Laura Hillenbrand Copy Share Image
“Each of his workouts was attended by ten thousand or more spectators.” — Laura Hillenbrand Copy Share Image
“We figure he is the people’s horse, and we propose to train him in the open.” — Laura Hillenbrand Copy Share Image
“Wonderful?" wrote J.O. Young in his diary. "To stand cheering, crying, waving your hat and acting like a damn fool in general. No one… — Laura Hillenbrand Copy Share Image
“Stories of cannibalism among castaways were so common that British sailors considered the practice of choosing and sacrificing a victim to be an established… — Laura Hillenbrand Copy Share Image
I have vertigo. Vertigo makes it feel like the floor is pitching up and down. Things seem to be spinning. It's like standing on… — Laura Hillenbrand Copy Share Image
“But on Kwajalein, the guards sought to deprive them of something that had sustained them even as all else had been lost: dignity. This… — Laura Hillenbrand Copy Share Image
My illness is excruciating and difficult to cope with. It takes over your entire life and causes more suffering than I can describe. — Laura Hillenbrand Copy Share Image
“I can't describe the feeling he gave me," Howard said later, "but somehow I knew he had what it takes. Tom and I realized… — Laura Hillenbrand Copy Share Image
