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Hiroshima (Turtleback School & Library Binding Edition) Review

Albert Einstein wrote a letter to Franklin Roosevelt urging him to develop an atomic bomb, fearful that the Germans would be first. Einstein latter said it was the greatest mistake he ever made. Within a few short years of that letter, humans mastered the technique of obtaining a tremendous amount of energy by eliminating matter, expressed by a very familiar formula. The first demonstration of this mastery occurred in the New Mexican desert, in July, 1945, and within less than a month, an atomic bomb was dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima.

Within a year of the bombing, which was instrumental event in bringing the Second World War to an end, John Hersey wrote this poignant account of six survivors, each of whom were between a mile or two from ground zero, and each in their way was lucky, or unlucky, to have survived. Hersey tells the accounts of two women: a clerk in the personnel department, and a tailor's widow; and of four men: two medical doctors, a Japanese Methodist minister and a German Catholic priest. Hersey tells their stories with a very flat affect, in that style of "just stating the facts," and allowing the horror which occurred to these six, as well as others, speak for itself. Time and again Hersey selects the detail to bring this horror home, from the mother who held her dead baby for four days, as it was decomposing, awaiting the return of her husband, to the still alive anti-aircraft crew, whose faces had "melted" in the blinding heat. All the emergency services were eliminated or overwhelmed, and one of the two doctors above was the only one staffing the sole hospital. Supplies and exhaustion constrained him to perform only the most rudimentary first aide.

Most of the book is focused on the immediate impact on these six, over the first 72 hours. But Hersey does have an informal "epilogue" section that covers their lives over the following six months, and the arrival of Allied occupation forces.

Because it was the first use of nuclear weapons in war, Hiroshima receives a disproportionate share of the attention. No similar book has ever been written about Nagasaki, bombed three days latter, with almost the same number killed. Also, the Allies had deliberately fire bombed cities such as Tokyo, and Dresden with "conventional" weapons, with at least as many casualties. Does it matter if your face is melted by fire bombs, or an atomic weapon? There is a difference though, in that there are the lingering effects of radiation, which quite often includes death, that occur with the survivors of an atomic bomb attack.

I've been to the A-bomb museum in Hiroshima, and consider it quite bias against the Americans, in that all causative reasons for such an attack are not mentioned. It is presented very much in the form that this was a cruel experiment, conducted at the very end of the war. Hersey's book however, I consider fair and factual. He allows the horror of war to speak for itself. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the immediate likelihood of nuclear war has been reduced, but with the increased proliferation of the bomb, coupled with on-going wars, the chance of another use of the bomb, even by accident, remains high.

Hersey's account of the lives of six people at Hiroshima should be part of the core curriculum in every American high school. A solid 5-star read.

(P.S. I didn't read this book in Spanish; hopefully Amazon will move the numerous reviews of this book to an English language version of the book)

Hiroshima (Turtleback School & Library Binding Edition) Overview

FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. The classic tale of the day the first atom bomb was dropped offers a haunting evocation of the memories of survivors and an appeal to the conscience of humanity.

Hiroshima (Turtleback School & Library Binding Edition) Specifications

When the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, few could have anticipated its potential for devastation. Pulitzer prize-winning author John Hersey recorded the stories of Hiroshima residents shortly after the explosion and, in 1946, Hiroshima was published, giving the world first-hand accounts from people who had survived it. The words of Miss Sasaki, Dr. Fujii, Mrs. Nakamara, Father Kleinsorg, Dr. Sasaki, and the Reverend Tanimoto gave a face to the statistics that saturated the media and solicited an overwhelming public response. Whether you believe the bomb made the difference in the war or that it should never have been dropped, "Hiroshima" is a must read for all of us who live in the shadow of armed conflict.

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Customer Reviews

The atomic bomb was not the prettiest part of the war - Jason Weber -
This novel is the best, accurate, and historical record of the people of Hiroshima after the atomic bomb hit in 1945. The entire town was left in ruins, and the people had to do all the could to make it out and survive. It was the most horrible moment for Japan, and thousands died, and even more were left sick or died for radiation poisoning. It also makes you wonder, is this worth the cost of victory? I give credit to this author for gathering these historically accurate summaries of a good variety of survivors of the bombing, as well as returning decades later to conclude his biographies of these brave survivors. The novel is not a pretty one, but shows how pushing one button can change the lives of thousands of people in a matter of seconds. Its sad seeing what these people went for, as well as sad how some of these survivors ended up dying. This is an emotional book, and shows a Japan's point of view after the bombing, which many Americans weren't aware of the full extent these people suffered.

A silent explosion (3.5 stars) - J. Green - Los Angeles, California
First published in 1946, this simple little book recounts the experiences of six civilian inhabitants of Hiroshima who survived the atomic blast on April 6, 1945. Few residents recall hearing any sound from the explosion, just the bright flash and the shock wave. Even those who died soon after most often did so in silence. The book tells what those 6 were doing that morning, what happened when the atomic bomb exploded, and how they coped in the hours, days, weeks and months that followed. The final chapter returns 40 years later to follow up on the rest of their lives.

I've heard rave and almost reverential recommendations of this book and wondered if my thoughts would be changed by reading it. The text is mostly straightforward and seemingly neutral in its judgment; it reports that most Hiroshimans did not blame the US for the bomb, they just wanted to get on with their lives as best they could. It is not until the very end that it seems to take on an agenda, and while I found the initial part of the book fascinating and compelling, the follow-up chapter was disappointing. It isn't especially graphic or horrific in its account, but does portray what ordinary Japanese experienced, and made me feel grateful that such weapons have not been used since 1945.

I think this is a worthwhile book for anyone interested in the topic to read. But I would urge you *not* to read with the intent to fortify your views either way - the book's focus is much too narrow for such - but to read it for the history and human experience it reports.

Confusing and Boring - -
I read this book as a 10th grade student. The book may have been the most confusing book I have ever read. The book has 7 different accounts and each one is short and almost pointless. If Hershey only used 4 characters and went into each person's account deeper, it would have been much more interesting. Could not wait to finish this book... not for good reasons though.

*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Jul 04, 2010 17:25:06

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Sunday, July 4, 2010