The Cloud and the Light (West & the Wider World Series) [Paperback]

Martin Kawano (Author), Paul Miller (Translator)

Book Description

Series: West & the Wider World Series | Publication Date: June 2003

In an extended memoir, Dr. Martin Kawano reviews his life from the rare perspective of a Protestant inter-denominational surgeon who, while a medical student, survived the bombing of Nagasaki. This intensely personal account casts more light on the bomb and its immediate aftermath than other existing classical works.

Editorial Reviews

From Kirkus Reviews

Sad to say, a clearly good and decent man has produced a tedious, stilted autobiography. A third-year medical student in Nagasaki in August 1945, Kawano was only 700 meters from the epicenter of the explosion from the atom bomb dropped on that city. In the years that followed that horrific event, he became a doctor and a lay preacher, was awarded a scholarship to study tuberculosis in the US, and still later studied neurosurgery in both the US and Germany. After bringing his life story from 1945 up to 1987, by which time he had become a leader of the antismoking movement in Japan, Kawano goes back in time to his lonely boyhood, his religious conversion, his early education, and his army days. The picture that emerges is one of an extraordinarily devout, modest, and hard-working man, easily embarrassed and eager to please. While he seems to have made friends everywhere he went, spending time in Vermont with Maria von Trapp and in Canada and Germany with Albert Schweitzer's granddaughter, his polite descriptions shed little light on these personalities. Originally published in Japan and translated into English by Kawano himself, these memoirs have a flat, wooden quality and often read almost as if written by a very serious child. The author also has a tendency to include extraneous lists, ho-hum statistics, and excerpts from his pamphlets on sex and smoking. The story of how a poor Buddhist baker's son became a devout Christian, a world traveler, and the ``Ben Casey of Nagasaki'' deserves a more skillful telling. Perhaps this was better in the original Japanese. However, its Christian message may be enough to satisfy some, for Kawano believes deeply and tries hard to live his beliefs. -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Review

Rhena Schweitzer Miller, daughter of Albert Schweitzer, says: "His story is inspiring, the testimony of a man with unwavering faith and dedication." -- Publisher Comments

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Product Details

• Paperback: 300 pages
• Publisher: Cross Cultural Publications (June 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0940121395
• ISBN-13: 978-0940121393
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,582,525 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Quote from the daughter of Albert Schweitzer...., December 29, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Cloud and the Light (West & the Wider World Series) (Paperback)

THE CLOUD AND THE LIGHT Memoirs of a Japanese Christian Surgeon from Nagasaki

The West and the Wider World Series, Vol. XII By Martin Kawano, M.D.

In an extended memoir, Dr. Martin Kawano reviews his life from the rare perspective of a Protestant inter-denominational surgeon who, while a medical student, survived the bombing of Nagasaki. This intensely personal account casts more light on the bombing and its immediate aftermath than other existing classic works.

Dr. Kawano had studied Protestant theology, but set these pursuits aside to join the army. Following his stint in service, he began medical studies. He has been a surgeon all his professional life and a crusader against smoking. In his world-wide service as a social reformer he worked with many well-known people such as Maria Von Trapp and the daughter and granddaughter of Albert Schweitzer.

"Like my father Albert Schweitzer, who influenced him, Martin Kawano has made his life his argument. From the time when as a medical student he miraculously escaped death from the atomic bomb which fell on Nagasaki, his life has unfolded in steady service to mankind. From his studies in the USA, Germany, Switzerland and Canada, he has brought back to Japan unique capabilities for helping where he sees the greatest needs, without consideration for his career or his personal life. His story is inspiring, the testimony of a man with unwavering faith and dedication." Rhena Schweitzer Miller, 1996

3.0 out of 5 stars does not live up to series expectations, May 25, 2003

By 

"mambasso" (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Cloud and the Light (West & the Wider World Series) (Paperback)

I acquired this book after enjoying other books in The West and the Wider World Series (Harris' The Sins of the Father, Seaman's Paper Airplanes in the Himalayas). Unlike the other books, The Cloud and the Light provides little insight into the relationships and the interactions between cultures. In part, this is due to the others being written by children of missionaries, authors exposed to both worlds as a child. A large part, however, seems to be Dr. Kawano's desire to be positive and not critical. He speaks against the horrors of radiation poisoning, suicide and smoking, but seems hesitant to criticize any person or cultural group. The absence of comments regarding America's use of the bomb are notable.

The first chapters of this autobiography provide revealing descriptions of what it was like to live and to provide medical care in Nagasaki during and after the bomb. The middle chapters, however, focus on other aspects of his life - his work in neurology and his support of suicide hotline and anti-smoking campaigns. The final chapters provide more wartime background and address how Dr. Kawano became a Christian.

Readers interested in "inspirational" lives may enjoy this book. Those interested in Japan and Japanese medicine during and immediately after the bomb should read the first chapters. Most will probably find the translated prose readable but dry.