No one in Hiroshima, Japan expected August 6, 1945 to be an out of the ordinary day. Everyone was living his or her lives as normal when the siren went off. Shelter was taken and at 7:45 the “all-clear” was sounded. Life returned to normal until 8:15 when a bright flash was seen from several points around the city. Citizens felt extreme warmth followed by a force strong enough to cripple the city. Hiroshima had been hit by the first atom bomb. American journalist John Hersey records testimony of 6 survivors in his best-selling novel Hiroshima. . The initial four chapters of this nonfiction book were written in 1946. An additional chapter was added in 1985, briefly recounting each character's previous four decades.
Each survivor tells his or her account in a third person perspective. Miss Toshiko Sasaki, a clerk, had just sat down in her office when the bomb struck. For many hours she lay buried beneath a pile of books. Her leg was crushed. Finally, she was dragged out and left under a lean-to for days. When at last she was treated, her leg healed improperly and, despite several operations, she walked with a limp. Her fiancé abandoned her and she eventually became a nun, administering group homes.
Jesuit Father Wilhelm Kleinsorge, later called Father Takakura, was reading in his room when the bomb struck. He lost consciousness and later found himself wandering aimlessly through the home's gardens. Dedicated to service, Father Kleinsorge spent the next few weeks tirelessly ministering to the bomb victims. Despite his debilitating radiation illnesses, he continued similar ministry until his death in 1977. Dr. Terufumi Sasaki was working in a Hiroshima hospital on August 6, 1945. One of the only surviving medics in the area, he spent the next three days treating thousands of patients with barely any supplies. He became a very wealthy physician in later years, only lightly affected physically by the bomb, but haunted by the mass cremations of unidentified bomb victims in the days following the blast. These are merely three accounts that occur in the novel Hiroshima.
One of the books major strengths is its graphic detail. Some areas of the book are quite detailed in how “banged up” the citizens were after the bombing. One area sticks out in particular. A man tried to pull a woman from the river, only to have her skin peel off the arm like a glove. This helps the reader visualize what it is like to have been there. One can see the people bleeding and vomiting in the streets, hear the masses cry in agonizing pain, and so on.
Another strength is that those who were actually there tell the book. History books and books told by outsiders don’t have the sense of reality that this one does. Since the narrators were all there, one can be sure that this is all a true account. None of it is being told in a different way.
On the other hand, the book can sometimes be too graphic in its detail. Also, the names are in Japanese. That makes it harder to remember who is who. Many doctors and priests are used as narrators, and it’s hard to keep them straight also.
This novel offers an excellent insight into the World War II bombing of Hiroshima. These first-hand accounts actually take the reader back to 1945. Hersey is an excellent author. He uses his writing to teach humanity and understanding.