Don’t Give Up, Don’t Give In: Lessons from an Extraordinary Life

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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. Dedication Epigraph Coauthor’s Note Introduction RUN FOR YOUR LIFE The Family Rules Anyone Can Turn Their Life Around The Difference Between Attention and Recognition Is Self-Esteem It’s Not How You Win, It’s How You Lose A Race Isn’t Over Until It’s Over BE PREPARED Preparation Determines Your Survival My Survival Kit Trust What You Know Keep Your Mind Sharp Don’t Forget to Laugh DON’T GIVE UP, DON’T GIVE IN You Are the Content of Your Character Never Let Anyone Destroy Your Dignity Hate Is a Personal Decision The True Definition of Hero ATTITUDE IS EVERYTHING You Must Have Hope Don’t Ask Why, Ask What’s Next You Choose How to View Your Fate The Secret of Contentment AFTER THE WAR: STILL LOST You Can’t Run (or Sail) Away from Yourself Don’t Leave the Crucial Details to Others THERE’S ALWAYS AN ANSWER TO EVERYTHING You Need a Cloud to Have a Silver Lining Know When You’ve Done All You Can Do The Gangster and the Gospel GIVE BACK It Takes a Camp to Help a Child Get Their Attention First You Listen Accomplishment Is the Key to Self-Respect My Private Reward The Mission That Never Ends WHAT I’VE LEARNED Challenge Yourself Learn to Adapt Commitment and Perseverance Pay Off You’re Only as Old as You Feel Free Advice LESSONS OF THE OLYMPIC SPIRIT It’s About People You Have to Train to Carry a Torch Forgiveness Is the Healing Factor REMEMBER ME THIS WAY A Charitable Heart Afterword Acknowledgments About the Authors Books by Louis Zamperini Credits Copyright About the Publisher