Friday, August 14, 2020

Hiroshima by John Hersey

 


Hiroshima by John Hersey



I’ve always been interested in what happened in Hiroshima, not because of what we learned in school, but because of the stories my grandfather tells of when he was stationed there after the bombing. Being a science major, I’ve learned about the devastation a bomb of that magnitude can cause.  That mixed with the tales of woe and atrocity, seen by my grandpa nearly 10 years after, has painted a vivid picture of how horrific it must have been. 


That is until I read this book, and it is worse than I could have ever imagined. This book is simply haunting. The story follows six individuals who survived the bombing of Hiroshima, and their journeys through the devastation and re-building of Hiroshima. Hersey was able to in detail describe their lives and see what they had become 40 years after the bombing. 


Their individual stories are all unique, while some overlap, many went through these atrocities alone. The descriptions of ailments, of the survivors and victims’ alike, were horrifying and extremely vivid. Do not read this book if you are sensitive to mutilation or war subjects. Such an important read to truly understand the magnitude of what happened, so much of what we learn in school is glossed over, and this completely changed what I had previously known. 




More About the Author



Where to Buy:


Powell’s

Thriftbooks


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