This is a must-read.
It was given to me about 20 years ago by a friend cleaning out his bookshelves. I’ve put off reading it, sensing that it would rock my world — kind of like the Holocaust lit class I took in high school, and still remember. I wanted to be ready.
I was right.
John Hersey’s Hiroshima
In an instant, thousands of lives were snuffed out, thousands more doomed to terrible suffering. No one in Japan knew what kind of bomb it was. No one, including those who dropped it, knew what to expect in the aftermath. Yet these six human guinea pigs — two physicians, a widow, a personnel clerk, a priest, and a Methodist pastor — live out their days suffering its effects with courage and grace.
It’s a relatively short book, weighing in at 150 pages. The first four chapters recount the events of the few days surrounding the explosion. The fifth, final chapter relates what Hersey learned about the fates of his six main characters when he revisited Hiroshima forty years later.
This is a vital book for anyone living in the nuclear age, anyone considering the efficacy of war, anyone wanting to keep their sense of history honest. It shouldn’t be the only read. But it should definitely be in the mix.
Yes, this is a great book.
I never heard of this book, though the author’s name is familiar to me. I’ll have to keep my eyes out for it.
You must be reading a theme right now (war/anti-war). Am I right? : ) This sounds thought-provoking!
I read this years ago when I was 15 and I found it on a bookshelf at my grandmother’s house. I don’t know if she bought it because it was by Hersey, because it was a popular book (her copy was an early edition), or because my grandfather fought in the Pacific theater during WWII, but it made a huge impression on me. So much so that I asked her if I could keep the book. Then I had my older children read it as a part of their American history reading. Recently I saw that it is back in print and some high schools and community colleges are using it as part of their history or literature curriculum.
Thanks for the review!
A friend gave this to me some years ago and it made a huge impact on me, too. I agree…it is a must-read. A few years ago, I taught a Physical Science class at a local private school and had the students read this book as we learned about atomic energy. It’s so important for us to understand and remember our history. Thanks for the review and the reminder. B.
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