New York Times bestseller
More than 100,000 copies in print
Completed just two days before Louis Zamperini's death at age ninety-seven, Don't Give Up, Don't Give In shares a lifetime of wisdom, insight, and humor from "one of the most incredible American lives of the past century" (People). Zamperini's story has touched millions through Laura Hillenbrand's biography Unbroken and its blockbuster movie adaptation directed by Angelina Jolie. Now, in his own words, Zamperini reveals with warmth and great charm the essential values and lessons that sustained him throughout his remarkable journey.
He was a youthful troublemaker from California who turned his life around to become a 1936 Olympian. Putting aside his track career, he volunteered for the army before Pearl Harbor and was thrust into World War II as a B-24 bombardier. While on a rescue mission, his plane went down in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, where he survived against all odds, drifting two thousand miles in a small raft for forty-seven days. His struggle was only beginning: Zamperini was captured by the Japanese, and for more than two years he courageously endured torture and psychological abuse in a series of prisoner-of-war camps. He returned home to face more dark hours, but in 1949 Zamperini's life was transformed by a spiritual rebirth that would guide him through the next sixty-five years of his long and happy life. Louis Zamperini's Don't Give Up, Don't Give In is an extraordinary last testament that captures the wisdom of a life lived to the fullest.
About the Author :
A son of Italian immigrants, Louis Zamperini (1917-2014) was a U.S. Olympic runner, World War II bombardier, and POW survivor. After the war, he returned to the United States to found the Victory Boys Camp for at-risk youth and became an inspirational speaker. Zamperini's story was told in his 2003 autobiography Devil at My Heels, as well as in Laura Hillenbrand's 2010 biography Unbroken.
David Rensin worked closely with Louis Zamperini for many years and cowrote Devil at My Heels, as well as fifteen other books, including five New York Times bestsellers.
Arthur Morey has won three AudioFile Magazine "Best Of" Awards, and his work has garnered numerous AudioFile Earphones Awards and placed him as a finalist for two Audie Awards. He has acted in a number of productions, both off Broadway in New York and off Loop in Chicago. He graduated from Harvard and did graduate work at the University of Chicago. He has won awards for his fiction and drama, worked as an editor with several book publishers, and taught literature and writing at Northwestern University. His plays and songs have been produced in New York, Chicago, and Milan, where he has also performed.
Review :
"A fitting capstone to the Zamperini legend...This valedictory book reflects the charm and colorful authority he brought to the world."
-- "USA Today"
"In this extraordinary posthumously published book, this feisty survivor reflects on his long life, his ordeals as a plane crash survivor and a World War II prisoner, and what his challenges taught him about persistence and staying alive."
-- "Barnes&Noble.com, editorial review"
"Not simply another rehashing of Zamperini's incredible history, this second memoir, dictated to co-writer Rensin during the last year of the author's life, brims with sage wisdom, learned advice, and fond observations from his adventurous ninety-seven years. Zamperini answers the most recurring questions asked of him during book signings and lectures, mostly pertaining to his adventures after his service in World War II...The author also provides robust wilderness survival tips, which saved his life while adrift on a life raft in the Pacific Ocean...Certainly, his counsel is often platitudinous (exercise forgiveness, challenge yourself, be positive, and give back), but it's also inspirational, and his words will offer a reflective refresher course for those receptive to it."
-- "Kirkus Reviews"
"Zamperini, with his extensive experience of peril, shares his counsel for dealing with dangerous situations."
-- "Publishers Weekly"
