About this item
The bestselling autobiography of the legendary Louis Zamperini, hero of the blockbuster UnbrokenA modern classic by an American legend, Devil at My Heels is the riveting and deeply personal memoir by U.S. Olympian, World War II bombardier, and POW survivor Louis Zamperini. His inspiring story of courage, resilience, and faith has captivated readers and audiences of Unbroken, now a major motion picture directed by Angelina Jolie. In Devil at My Heels, his official autobiography (co-written with longtime collaborator David Rensin), Zamperini shares his own first-hand account of extraordinary journey—hailed as “one of the most incredible American lives of the past century” (People).A youthful troublemaker, a world-class NCAA miler, a 1936 Olympian, a WWII bombardier: Louis Zamperini had a fuller life than most.
About the Author
Louis Zamperini is best known for Laura Hillenbrand's book "Unbroken: A WWII Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption".Zamperini's life started out hard. Born to Italian immigrants in New York, his family moved to Torrance, California when Louis was a toddler. At the time Louie knew no English, making him the perfect target for bullies. With a string of luck, Louie's older brother Pete got him into running. He set tons of records, and eventually made his way to the 1936 Berlin Olympics in the 5,000 meters at age 19, being the youngest U.S. qualifier for that event. While training for the 1940 Olympics, WWII broke out and Louie became a second lieutenant. Deployed as a bombardier, their plane was badly damaged and crashed. Louie and his friend Russell Allen Phillips survived in an inflated raft for 47 days, with no food, and occasional rain water. Louie and Phil landed on the Marshall Islands, and were taken prisoner by the Japanese. They remained prisoners for two years, until the end of the war. For a while after the war, Louie became a war hero. Soon after, however, memories of his life in captivity continued to haunt him until he was brought to Christ through one of Billy Graham's sermons. Louie dedicated his life to Christ, became a motivational speaker, and began helping troubled youth.
