Devil at My Heels: A Heroic Olympian's Astonishing Story of Survival as a Japanese POW in World War II

David Rensin, Louis Zamperini

Harper Collins, Oct 6, 2009 - Biography & Autobiography - 319 pages

The bestselling autobiography of the legendary Louis Zamperini, hero of the blockbuster Unbroken.

A 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. But on May 27, 1943, it all changed in an instant when his B-24 crashed into the Pacific Ocean, leaving Louis and two other survivors drifting on a raft for forty-seven days and two thousand miles, waiting in vain to be rescued. And the worst was yet to come when they finally reached land, only to be captured by the Japanese. Louis spent the next two years as a prisoner of war—tortured and humiliated, routinely beaten, starved and forced into slave labor—while the Army Air Corps declared him dead and sent official condolences to his family. On his return home, memories of the war haunted him nearly destroyed his marriage until a spiritual rebirth transformed him and led him to dedicate the rest of his long and happy life to helping at-risk youth. 

Told in Zamperini’s own voice, Devil at My Heels is an unforgettable memoir from one of the greatest of the “Greatest Generation,” a living document about the brutality of war, the tenacity of the human spirit, and the power of faith.

Contents

• That Tough Kid Down the Street: 1
• The Torrance Tornado: 22
• WorldClass: 38
• On a Wing and a Prayer: 54
• Prepare to Crash: 82
• Adrift: 97
• Execution Island: 117
• We Regret to Inform: 132
• The Bird: 150
• If Goat Die You Die: 175
• The Long Road Home: 190
• The Hollow Hero: 208
• A Second Chance: 229
• Forgiveness: 249
• Not Every Old Soldier Fades Away: 267
• Acknowledgments: 290

Popular passages

Page 166 - In grateful memory of who died in the service of his (her) country at . He (she) stands in the unbroken line of patriots who have dared to die that freedom might live and grow, and increase its blessings. Freedom lives, and through it he (she) lives— in a way that humbles the undertakings of most men.‎

Page v - Prisoners of war are in the power of the hostile Power, but not of the individuals or corps who have captured them. They must at all times be humanely treated and protected, particularly against acts of violence, insults and public curiosity. Measures of reprisal against them are prohibited.‎

Page v - Prisoners of War are in the power of the hostile Power, but not of the indi•dividuals or corps who have captured them.‎

Page 1 - Glory belongs to the act of being constant to something greater than yourself, to a cause, to your principles, to the people on whom you rely, and who rely on you in return.‎

Page 124 - HE STANDS IN THE UNBROKEN LINE OF PATRIOTS WHO HAVE DARED TO DIE THAT FREEDOM MIGHT LIVE, AND GROW, AND INCREASE ITS BLESSINGS. FREEDOM LIVES. AND THROUGH IT, HE LIVESIN A WAY THAT HUMBLES THE UNDERTAKINGS OF MOST MEN...‎

Page 214 - Good? Bad? Mixed up? Or can't you tell? That's OK, though. It's exactly the way thousands of men have felt who have come back ahead of you. Some of them wanted to talk it over.‎

Page 1 - I possessed when confronting alone organized inhumanity on a greater scale than I had conceived possible. In prison, I learned that faith in myself alone, separate from other, more important allegiances, was ultimately no match for the cruelty that human beings could devise when they were entirely unencumbered by respect for the God-given dignity of man. This is the lesson many Americans, including Louis, learned in prison.‎

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.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Devil at My Heels: A Heroic Olympian's Astonishing Story of Survival as a Japanese POW in World War II
• Authors: David Rensin, Louis Zamperini
• Edition: unabridged
• Publisher: Harper Collins, 2009
• ISBN: 0061972762, 9780061972768
• Length: 319 pages
• Subjects: Biography & Autobiography / Military; History / United States / Civil War Period (1850-1877); History / Wars & Conflicts / World War II / General