Book info

• Title Unbroken: My story of survival from 7/7 Bombings to Paralympic success
• Author Martine Wright
• Year 2017
• Genre Non-fiction

On the morning of 7th July 2005, Martine Wright’s life changed forever. As she boarded an eastbound circle line train at Moorgate station, amid the busy rush-hour, she didn’t pay attention to her fellow passengers. At 8.49am, one of those passengers detonated a suicide bomb that would kill seven people in the carriage, part of a wider attack on London claiming 52 lives that became known as the 7 / 7 bombings. Martine was, in fact, the last person to be brought out alive from the atrocities. She lost 80 per cent of her blood, was in a coma for seven days and underwent ten months of surgery. Not only did Martine survive her horrific injuries but, having never played sport seriously before, she took up sitting volleyball as part of her rehabilitation and went on to represent Great Britain at the Paralympics in London 2012. A deeply poignant moment that signified her triumph over tragedy, it marked a journey Martine felt she was destined to make.

Review

This is the autobiography of Martine Wright, one of the survivors of the 7 / 7 bombings in 2005 - when a terrorist attacked the tube and bus links in London. The book starts on that very day, and has a unique style to begin with - hearing from many of the people who feature in the memoir, Martine’s doctor, a policewoman who found her, her husband and family. It’s a stark and visceral start to the book as it places you right in the scene but also gives you great insight into the panic and distress that everyone else was feeling as well.

Of course, Martine survived that day and went on to recovery, losing her two legs in the process. The book details her progress and goes on to talk about her subsequent career as a Paralympian and public speaker. There’s an honesty throughout the book, and open-ness and a fantastic attitude about what happened and how it has affected her life.

I think towards the end of the book, things get a little bit rambly but it also feels like that’s an accurate representation of the life being lived. Martine doesn’t quite know what she’s doing next at this point, and doesn’t have the safety net of a 9-5 office job, so the world is her oyster. A really inspiring read, emotional but uplifting.

Rating: 5 / 5