Children of the Atomic Bomb: An American Physician’s Memoir of Nagasaki, Hiroshima, and the Marshall Islands (Asia-Pacific: Culture, Politics, and Society) (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Louis B.Fleming (Author), John W.Dower (Contributor)
Key Phrases: mile from the hypocenter, atomic bomb effects, bomb survivors, Los Angeles, United States, Marshall Islands (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In 1949, the author, a pediatrician and medical researcher, was sent to Japan to study the effects of nuclear radiation, especially on children still in their mothers' wombs when the bomb was detonated. This report takes a medical look at the victims of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and reviews some of the genetic abnormalities resulting from fetal exposure. The author also passes along information about the fate of Marshall Islanders accidentally exposed to radioactive fallout during the 1954 U.S. thermonuclear test at Bikini. This account is more than a medical report, however; Yamazaki relates his personal story as a Japanese American whose parents were treated roughly in a wartime internment camp in Arkansas while their son fought for America in the Battle of the Bulge. Yet the study is the most involving when he discusses the tragic legacy of the atomic bomb and sounds the alarm about the hazards of radiation in all forms. Yamazaki is on the staff of the UCLA medical school; Fleming is a former foreign correspondent. Illustrations.

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Review

OYamazaki, a Japanese-American doctor who served in World War II, has written an absorbing memoir that is also a sobering account of the continuing effects of radiation and nuclear weapons...O --Meg Dyer, Bloomsbury Review ODr. YamazakiOs painfully concise observations of children affected by the atomic bombs at Hiroshima and Nagasaki force us to see what actually took place beneath the mushroom cloud.O --Daniel K. Inouye, United States Senator, HawaiOi

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 200 pages
• Publisher: Duke University Press (August 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0822316587
• ISBN-13: 978-0822316589
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,008,721 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fallout, March 12, 2005

By	JMack (Chicago) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

"Children of the Atomic Bomb" is a disturbing look into the after effects of the atomic bombs dropped on Nagasaki and Hiroshima during World War II. In reference to the fallout of radiation, the Marshall Islands incident is also discussed. The author's primary emphasis is placed on the bomb's effects on children, including those still in the womb and those not yet conceived.

There is a great deal of valuable information in this book, though I must admit I found the explanations too short at times. Dr. Yamazaki is an American of Asian descent, who served his country in World War II. Because of his nationality, he endured racism depite being an American. Ironically, even in his research in Japan he endured prejudice because he was seen as an American. This gives an interesting twist to the story.

Dr. Yamazaki's focus began in studying the unborm children of the atomic bomb. While the adults in the fallout tended to develop cancer at high rates later in life, the children had a high motality rate. Cancer and mental retardation were among the primary defects developed in these children. Many were also born with small heads, caused by the soft tissue of the skull solidifing too soon. These "pica babies" or babies of the blinding flash showed an alarming vulnerablity during the eighth and fifteenth weeks of development. Babies in this span of development showed the greatest health problems. Searching for genetic defects is the next goal of the research, though the stigma of being a pica baby makes some reluctant to come forward for research.

One of the things I enjoyed about the book was that Dr. Yamazaki did not choose to argue for or against the use of the bomb. Instead, he chose to pursue the possibility that something like this should never happen again. In American culture, we pay little attention to the after effects of the Atomic Bomb in Japan. Our primary focus in America in studying World War II is the fall of the Nazi regime. This book is an eye-opening experience in the events that unfolded in Japan as the war ended. My only complaint is that the book is often too concise.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An incredibly important work, January 26, 2004

By	Moses Alexander (Alabama, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Children of the Atomic Bomb: An American Physician's Memoir of Nagasaki, Hiroshima, and the Marshall Islands (Asian and Pacific Studies) (Paperback)

This is the personal and medical memoir of Dr. James Yamazaki, an American of Japanese descent who went to Japan a few years after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Dr. Yamazaki went to study the effects of radiation exposure on the populace, and particularly its effects on children. Dr. Yamazaki spent several years in Nagasaki before returning to the US to continue research on the effects of radiation on children (as well as having a general pediatric practice.)

In addition to his pioneering medical work, he also talked to government commissions about nuclear disarmament. He told them what he saw in Japan in the aftermath of the atomic bomb. His medical knowledge gave him the authority to speak as a peace activist as well.

A highly recommended, highly moving book. It is short and easy to read and should be essential reading to all human beings about those horrible days in the history of the world.