Customer Reviews

Hibakusha: Survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

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I bought this book while visiting Peace Memorial Museum in Hiroshima, in November 1998. Even if I had not been to this incredible place, this book alone would have affected me greatly. The accounts are brief and striking. My heart ached for the children, whether they were the Hibakusha (Bomb Survivors)telling the story as an adult, or whether they were describing a horrific scene involving these innocents. This isn't a dry historical account with scientific information and political overview. It is a recollection of activities, emotions, and devastation experienced by real people on and since August 6, 1945. I wish there were more books along this line, written as well as this one.

Hibakusha's age(the survivors in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, where is only city fell atomic bombs in the world) is getting to be older recently. Their age will be over 70 years old in many cases. At the same time, the young people in Japan who don't know about Genbaku in Hiroshima and Nagasaki at that time well is increasing. That will be uneasy truth for the mean that the fear of atomic bombs disappear. But when August comes in Japan, many Japanese remember about atomic bombs in H and N (Hiroshima and Nagasaki), why? Because the atomic bombs fell down in August 1945.

Even now, in Japan at August many TV programs are broadcasted. The deads were over 100000 in Hiroshima, 70000 in Nagasaki. People over 95% that lived inner 1km from the center where the bomb fell were killed immediately and some people that lived inner 2km had heavy skim burn in their all body. The fear of atomic bomb is not always only the number of the victim. The burn is never the same of the bomb victim in ordinary mean, that is, because when the atomic bombs exploded the temperature was over 3000, they had heavy skin burn over our imagination. In addition to that, their scars never disappeared till their death, called Keroido, for the heat ray made when the bomb exploded included radiation. Their radiation destroyed their skin cells. The burn never disappeared till their death. Off course, that meant that the burn was fatal mental point for young girls who spent fresh daily life in those days. Can you imagine about the girl's despair and agony that dared to choose the suicide killing for the cruel daily lifes after they injured heavy burn on all the body? I never have the thinking that I want to blame for American by explaining and expressing such cruel things. Certainly, the atomic bombs might be good choice for finishing WW2, however the weapon has dreadful factors over our imagination like I have written already.

If you have the chance that you go to Japan, I recommend going to Hiroshima at any cost, going to many Genbaku bomb memorial place, especially to Genbaku Peace Memorial Museum. Apart from the factor whether county have the responsibility of the war, by watching the cruel photograph or the clothes that they put on those days, you must feel a kind of shock absolutely, may feel a kind of the sympathy for them at that time, or may feel the anger for the war. And in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, there is the event of Hibakutaiken Dan, the act that Hibakusya (the survivors of H and N) tell about the peace by talking the dreadful scenes to travelers. I recommend that you listen to their talk when you go to Hiroshima or Nagasaki. There are the talkers who can tell with easy English for them, too.

I pray that all the atomic weapons on earth disappeared as Japanese, the first and last atomic victim county.

Thank you for reading poor English till last sentence.

I purchased this book for my father's 85th birthday as he was in Japan during the war and saw the devastation of the bombs. He was so moved by this book and recommends it to anyone who would like to see both sides of any tragedy. I am now reading this book because we plan to take our family on a vacation next July to Japan and will be visiting Hiroshima.

As a history buff, I read a great deal about wars. I had read articles on the bombing but this book is full of actual victim's stories. Whether you agree with the dropping of the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki is not really relavent. What is the important message here? Simply, man's inhumanity to man. It happens in all wars by all nations. Will we ever learn?

I used this book for a book club that I lead at the community college where I work. We had a student who led the discussion that had traveled to the Peace Memorial in Nagasaki, and this book was an excellent catalyst for discussion about war and nuclear weapons. The survivor stories are each moving in their own way and show the effects of war, propaganda, prejudice, and the frightening effects of allowing ourselves to have a"faceless enemy." Easy to read for busy people because each story is only three to four pages long.

The book I ordered arrived in a very timely manner. It was the exact condition listed, and it came in beautifully. Thank you!

It was a terrible weapon for a terrible enemy. The atomic bomb saved countless American lives. The Japanese were given multiple chances to surrender and they refused. This book is an extremely interesting account of a most terrible time for the citizens of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. I hope the world never sees this terrible weapon used again.