Hiroshima and Nagasaki: Fire from the Sky

by Andrew Langley

Provides detailed information of the development of the atomic bomb, along with the dropping of this weapon in the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Includes source notes and timeline.

Genres: Nonfiction, History

96 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author with this name on GR

Reviews

[Melissa Lawyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a nice short recap of the bombings. It doesn’t go too much in depth, but I did learn a couple new things.

[Ted · Rating 4 out of 5]

For those revisionist historians who say the dropping of the atom bombs were not necessary since Japan was going to surrender shortly, the book offers this quote: "The Japanese will not crack...even when eventual defeat stares them in the face. They will pull in their belts another notch, reduce their rations from a bowl of rice to a half bowl of rice, and fight to the bitter end. Only by physical destruction or utter exhaustion of their men and materials can they be defeated. That is the difference between the Germans and Japanese." - Joseph C. Grew, an American who lived in Japan during the 1930's, gave this opinion of the Japanese in 1942.

[Isaac Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Andrew Langley's purpose in writing this book is to show people how the bombing of these two cities happened and to inform people on the reasons why it happened. Langley wanted people to see how much devastation there was to these cities. He also wanted to people to see how many people die from the bomb, radiation, etc.

The theme of the book is devastation. Two cities annihilated by an atomic bomb, hundreds of thousands were killed by the explosion, evaporated, and radiation sickness. All of the cities were destroyed and even parts of nearby cities and towns.

This book is a description, it describes the attacks on hiroshima and nagasaki. It tells how the bombs were created. It tells how the destruction changed everything in the cities. It describes life after the bombings.

I loved this book Hiroshima and Nagasaki: Fire from the Sky. I liked all the details on how the bomb was created. I would not change anything about it. It is not like any other book like any other one I have read before. But I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to know about these two bombings.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I checked this out to compare to The Last Train from Hiroshima. I was also hoping for some more pictures. It reminded me why I usually don't read non-fiction. It is amazing how one author can make a subject totally compelling and another can talk about the exact same event and put you to sleep. And I guess everyone's cameras got destroyed in the atomic bomb, too, and no one from the rest of Japan was too keen on taking a day trip and documenting the wreckage.

[Visaya P · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great novel that dipicts what life was like when the Atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It's a perfect novel for those advancing in reading levels. Also if anybody were to do a project about this event then this novel is perfect

[Jack Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book for multiple reasons. One reason is the format, I enjoy it because of the text boxes and pictures. The second reason I like it is because of the all the details