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Publication
New York : Alfred A. Knopf : Distributed by Random House, 1988.
Description
On August 6, 1945, Hiroshima was destroyed by the first atom bomb ever dropped on a city. This book, John Hersey's journalistic masterpiece, tells what happened on that day. Told through the memories of survivors, this timeless, powerful and compassionate document has become a classic "that stirs the conscience of humanity" (The New York Times). Almost four decades after the original publication of this celebrated book, John Hersey went back to Hiroshima in search of the people whose stories he had told. His account of what he discovered about them is now the eloquent and moving final chapter of Hiroshima.
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0000-1637-4177
User reviews
LibraryThing member t1bnotown
While Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes will always be my favorite story related to the atomic bomb, I still remember this from summer reading during high school. I remember stories and images, and feeling empathetic for the characters. The dropping of the atomic bomb isn't just something that
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happened somewhere else to someone else. It is something that hurt everyone in the world- we are all in danger now, and we must all read this to understand that. We must empathize. Show Less
LibraryThing member PickledOnion42
The printed word, I am sure, could never adequately convey the sheer horror of a nuclear attack, but Hiroshima by John Hersey comes close. By relating that dreadful morning through the experiences of just a few survivors, one is able to experience something of the human misery in a way one doesn't
For this new insight I am most grateful, yet I do have some slight criticism: the constant switching between stories, for example, I found to be unnecessarily confusing in places – I would rather have preferred to read them split into separate chapters, or even as distinct volumes; I don't think anything would have been lost by reading each in isolation. Then again, Hersey's style has been much praised by reviewers so I know I hold the minority view on this point. I also felt the book ended somewhat abruptly (here I refer to the 2009 Penguin edition which contains the additional chapter). But these criticisms are superficial; the insight gleaned from these pages is priceless, making this an important book which should be read by everyone. No exceptions.
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when reading the phrase 'between 90,000 and 166,000 people died'; such facts are almost meaningless to most people. I found the survivors' confusion as to what had happened most upsetting – had the Americans rained gasoline down onto the city? Although obvious in retrospect, it had never ocurred to me before that they would be so dumbfounded.For this new insight I am most grateful, yet I do have some slight criticism: the constant switching between stories, for example, I found to be unnecessarily confusing in places – I would rather have preferred to read them split into separate chapters, or even as distinct volumes; I don't think anything would have been lost by reading each in isolation. Then again, Hersey's style has been much praised by reviewers so I know I hold the minority view on this point. I also felt the book ended somewhat abruptly (here I refer to the 2009 Penguin edition which contains the additional chapter). But these criticisms are superficial; the insight gleaned from these pages is priceless, making this an important book which should be read by everyone. No exceptions.
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LibraryThing member justsara
Amazing book. Thought provoking, heart wrenching reality check. A must re-read!
LibraryThing member Alphawoman
Just as anyone unconvinced of taking action to help those who lose everything should read the grapes of wrath, those who are hawkish or play loose and wild with nuclear weapons should read Hiroshima by John Hersey. Never a more devastating detailed account of the horrors of nuclear war and
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disregard for the aftermath of weapons of mass destruction. Once its unleashed it's over for our beloved planet and for mankind. Nuclear power has no preference for race or color wealth or power. We all suffer and die the same. Show Less
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Physical description
196 p.; 20 cm
ISBN
0394548442 / 9780394548449