Hiroshima | John Hersey

Hiroshima | John Hersey | Great

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Hiroshima

	Hiroshima John Hersey Vintage, 1989 - 160 pages average customer review:based on 198 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Read It!

This is a great book. John Hersey follows six survivors of the atomic bomb attack on Hiroshima, using their experiences as a microcosm for the whole event. Rarely does he stray into scientific or historical background; neither is his approach political. He writes in spare, matter-of-fact language, so he cannot be accused of sentimentality or manipulation. He simply shows us what happened. By giving us an account of the lives of ordinary Japanese ruined by the atomic bomb, Hersey takes away our ability to see them simply as "the enemy." I think this book makes a compelling case that, even in war, some options should be off the table. And it does so without ever sounding like an editorial, or indeed, making us aware of the writer at all. "Hiroshima" is an achievement on both an ethical and literary level.

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Great

This is a wonderful book that is very informal as well as interesting! Much reccommended read!

Mind-Blowing

Reading this book felt like I was transported back to August 6, 1945. The events on that day and the days following were horrific! Hersey's accounts were so vivid and well-documented that I even felt like I was experiencing the explosion first-hand, (but from six different perspectives). At times, some of the accounts were very disturbing, while others, heartbreaking. However, these accounts opened my eyes to the realities of what could happen if there should ever be a Hiroshima repeat, or worst--nuclear warfare. I definitely recommend this book, not just for the mind-blowing experience, but also for its great literature.

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Powerful

Next to Night by Elie Weisel, this is a very affective and powerful book that gives us a glimpse of the actual people that were affected by historical tragedy. While reading this book,i couldn't help but feel sick to my stomach to think of my own country's stupidity to release an atomic bomb on Hiroshima. Many debates or thoughts that may surround this book is whether or not it was necessary for this event to happen, or if the war could have ended differently if it weren't for this tragedy. But more than anything, it will make you think of how so much carnage could ensue from a man-made weapon, and esp. make you think of how lucky we are in the 21st century to know for sure that nothing like the bombing in Hiroshima will happen again. If you are into history, esp. Japanese history, or the history of WWII, i believe that you will enjoy this. Even if you aren't a history buff, i think all people should read this. It may not be the BEST book to read about the event that occured in Hiroshima, but it's probably the first if not the only book that has first-hand accounts of the people who actually went through it and lived.

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Nuclear Reminder

Our world is in the midst of an aggressive nuclear arms race. The US as well as Russia, UK, France, China, Israel, India, Pakistan and North Korea have active, flourishing nuclear arms programs. Iran is scurrying to catch up. Countries who are enjoying economic windfalls like Venezuela plan to use the money to get in to the military, probably nuclear, arms race. Finally, terrorists are scrambling to acquire nuclear arms for their own "jihads".

In "Hiroshima", Hersey documents, not only the horrifying immediate effects of "The Bomb", but also the life-long tragedies that it's victims endured. The documentation of the life-long effect experienced after the blast, provides a most terrible and important perspective.

There are excerpts in the book that try to put a positive political spin on the events that occurred after the blast, however that political spin does not balance against the awesome pain and destruction Hersey's eye-witness account describes.

Anyone who is human should read "Hiroshima" to understand the horrible danger our governments and fanatics are placing at our doorstep. Everyone who is in a position of power in deciding how to use these tools of destruction should read this book as a reminder of the human chaos they would cause.

Hopefully Hersey's words will remind all of the horrible consequences of the nuclear arms madness.

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