In his classic book, "Hiroshima," John Hersey simply and powerfully tells the story of six residents of Hiroshima who were dramatically and traumatically impacted by the dropping of the atomic bomb near the end of World War II. I've always been fascinated by World War II history and have deeply appreciated works of art like "Band of Brothers" or "Ghost Soldiers," which help to bring humanity and complexity into our perceptions of war, which are too often overly abstract and neatly simplistic (good guys vs. bad guys, hopefully the good guys won). But "Hiroshima" does something even more challenging but no less important for American readers, bringing that humanity and complexity from the perspective of the "enemy," in this case Japanese doctors, clergy, mothers, and office workers with no particular political or military associations.
The central strength of the book is its gripping account of the lives of these six individuals, setting the stage before the bomb was dropped, describing the events that immediately followed the immense explosion, and following the impact of that cataclysmic event in the ensuing months and years. In fact, a final chapter, written 40 years after the original publication of the book, gives another update for the six featured people, four decades down the road. And, in all of this, Hersey manages to tell a powerful, vivid story without getting preachy or political. At the end of the day, we get a sense of the devastation, a hint of the suffering, a glimmer of the confusion, and just a faint taste of the impact of that first atomic bomb. It's a worthy experience for anyone, from any nationality or political persuasion.
I do have one minor quibble with Hersey's approach. With only six subjects to describe, I found it odd and unnecessarily limited in scope that two of them were physicians and two of them were Christian clergy (though one was Catholic and one was Protestant). Had he found a more diverse cross-section of Japanese society, I think that the main strength of the book would have been augmented. But this critique is truly insignificant within the context of the power of Hersey's work.
Ultimately, part of my experience in appreciating this book comes from a cultural upbringing that celebrated the United States' military might and historical successes with an abstract triumphalist tone, failing to bother to understand the devastating effects that war brings to all sides of any military conflict. As I've studied and learned as much military history as I can, my perspective has thankfully become more nuanced, and I'm mindful of the dangers of looking at an event like the bombing of Hiroshima as nothing more than a good old fashioned Yankee whooping. "Hiroshima" helps to counter that cheap view of human worth by shedding light on the horrors of war, from the often untold perspective of the defeated. It's true that the victors get to write history, and I'm glad that Hersey took the brave step to make sure that the impact on the vanquished is at least known and understood on some level. He does so without making sweeping political implications, without suggesting that the Hiroshima bombing was necessarily a mistake. He merely says that this event happened, that it was tragically awful for many people, that real people suffered and died, and that we would do well to be aware of those realities when we think back in history at war. I'd recommend the book to absolutely anyone who can see the potential value of being stretched and challenged in that direction.
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Beware knock off
Great book, but there is a seller trying to pass a bootleg version off as the mass market paperback. Be sure you buy the copy that shows Vintage as the publisher. The knock off is of extremely poor quality and is missing the epilogue.In my photo, the real version is on the left.
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