A-bomb Mayor: Warnings and Hope from Hiroshima

by Hamai Shinso

Genres: Nonfiction, History

239 pages

Reviews

[Venla · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book that everyone should read and I'm being dead serious here. One of the most eye-opening historic stories I've read. It's a story about the rebuilding of Hiroshima after the Atomic bombing on August 6, 1945, written by Hamai Shinso who was the president of Hiroshima after the bombing and also, had a very important role in rebuilding not only Hiroshima but the Japanese spirit after the dreadful events.

[Aaron Burdick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unlike “Hiroshima” which had personal accounts of the destruction, this autobiographical account from the former mayor of Hiroshima sheds light on the practical considerations of the city government during and after the bomb, reconstruction, as well as Hiroshima’s transformation into a peace city and its development of relationships with other peace groups.

This account was written in the 60s and around 60 years has passed since then, so it is interesting to hear the musings of what being a “peace city” meant to the people of Hiroshima, how it influenced the monuments that were established, and how the a-bomb dome stands as a stark reminder to the world of what happens when even a tiny nuclear weapon is unleashed on mankind. A lot has happened since then and memories fade as people pass away, but I can’t help but feel in some way thankful to the people of Hiroshima for putting money and resources into teaching the world, even when they themselves may not benefitted from it.

I dock it a point because the prose or perhaps the translation is not always the easiest to read, but the content itself is great.

[Juuso · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Yksikään eläin ei ole yhtä muistamaton ja typerä kuin ihminen. Kun ensimmäinen maailmansota päättyi, maailma ajatteli: tämä ei saa toistua. Häviäjät eivät tietenkään hyötyneet mitään, mutta ei liittoutuneidenkaan käynyt hyvin. Japani yritti monin tavoin estää uuden sodan syttymisen. Kun Kansainliitto vihdoin pääsi vauhtiin, ajateltiin, että sodista oli päästy. Ei kuitenkaan mennyt kuin kaksikymmentä vuotta, ja taas oltiin samassa pisteessä. Muut eläimet tietävät vaistomaisesti mitä tehdä. Ihmiset ovat itseään pettäviä hyväuskoisia narreja, jotka tekevät huonoja arviointeja."