Children of the Atomic Bomb: An American Physician’s Memoir of Nagasaki, Hiroshima, and the Marshall Islands

by James N. Yamazaki, Louis B. Fleming

Despite familiar images of the dropping of the atomic bomb on Japan and the controversy over its fiftieth anniversary, the human impact of those horrific events often seems lost to view. In this uncommon memoir, Dr. James N. Yamazaki tells us in personal and moving terms of the human toll of nuclear warfare and the specific vulnerability of children to the effects of these weapons. Giving voice to the brutal ironies of racial and cultural conflict, of war and sacrifice, his story creates an inspiring and humbling portrait of events whose lessons remain difficult and troubling fifty years later.Children of the Atomic Bomb is Dr. Yamazaki’s account of a lifelong effort to understand and document the impact of nuclear explosions on children, particularly the children conceived but not yet born at the time of the explosions. Assigned in 1949 as Physician-in-Charge of the United States Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission in Nagasaki, Yamazaki had served as a combat surgeon at the Battle of the Bulge where he had been captured and held as a prisoner of war by the Germans. In Japan he was confronted with violence of another dimension—the devastating impact of a nuclear blast and the particularly insidious effects of radiation on children.Yamazaki’s story is also one of striking juxtapositions, an account of a Japanese-American’s encounter with racism, the story of a man who fought for his country while his parents were interned in a concentration camp in Arkansas. Once the object of discrimination at home, Yamazaki paradoxically found himself in Japan for the first time as an American, part of the Allied occupation forces, and again an outsider. This experience resonates through his work with the children of Nagasaki and Hiroshima and with the Marshallese people who bore the brunt of America’s postwar testing of nuclear weapons in the Pacific.Recalling a career that has spanned five decades, Dr. Yamazaki chronicles the discoveries that helped chart the dangers of nuclear radiation and presents powerful observations of both the medical and social effects of the bomb. He offers an indelible picture of human tragedy, a tale of unimaginable suffering, and a dedication to healing that is ultimately an unwavering, impassioned plea for peace.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Japan, Memoir, Science

196 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 19, 1995

Reviews

[Carolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

One May morning I knocked on the door of a house around the corner from where I live to ask permission to cut some of the lilacs that were in profuse full bloom along the driveway. I had no idea who lived there, but was struck by the beautiful Japanese garden in what was an ordinary small-town front yard. It was partly hidden by a board fence with spaces between the boards; I had never noticed it before, although I had passed it hundreds of times.

The door was answered by an ancient, Japanese-appearing gentleman. With a wide and gracious smile, he said, "Of course!" as if he were honored by my request.

I posted a note on Facebook about the encounter, and a local friend revealed his identity as the author of this book. It tells the story of his remarkable life and his medical work with the survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Dr. Yamazaki is the American-born son of parents who immigrated from Japan early in the last century. His father was a Christian convert and the pastor of an Episcopal church in Los Angeles. James grew up feeling thoroughly American. He joined the Army before beginning medical school and was halfway through his medical education on December 7, 1941. The Army allowed him to complete his M.D. before commissioning him. When he graduated from medical school, all of his family except for one brother, a private in the Army, were imprisoned in a relocation camp in Arkansas, where he visited them before entering active duty. His father was then in the camp hospital after a beating by other Japanese inmates for urging them to send their sons into the American military. James served in Europe, and was taken prisoner during the Battle of the Bulge. He spent the rest of the war in a German POW camp.

After the liberation, he returned home to finish his specialty in pediatrics and married his sweetheart. In 1948 he was asked to join the Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission, where he was assigned to study the effects on the children whose mothers had been pregnant when they were exposed to the bomb blast and radiation. Most of the children showed malformations and mental retardation. Dr. Yamazaki then continued his studies in an effort to discover what genetic effects could be attributed to the bomb. His scientific and humanitarian work is described in layman's language.

This eventful story is remarkable for a lack of bitterness. It ends with a plea to young people to work to prevent the horrors of nuclear warfare from happening again. I feel honored to have met this distinguished gentleman and to recommend his inspiring book. There is also a video of Dr. Yamazaki describing his work at http://www.aasc.ucla.edu/cab/ .

[Barbara McEwen · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is less about the children and more about the memoir. Slow/dry parts include lists of other doctors he worked with and what they were studying, lobbying to keep his program going, the very high level stuff. It is much more interesting when he delves into his own life, including serving in the war as a Japanese American while his family was in interment camps, and his treatment by allied forces in Japan after the war. I was expecting more on his experiences with the people that survived these bombs and their families, and there is some of that, but it feels like a small part considering the title.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Marshall Islands. In reading books around the world-this one is more for Japan. This is the author's account of the effect of the atomic bomb on the children. I found most of it very interesting-I would have liked a little more detail about individuals, but a very good story about the horribleness of the civilians where the atomic bombs were dropped.

[Mitchum · Rating 3 out of 5]

An important and interesting memoir that I'll likely remember for years to come.
However, I felt that it focused too much on the specifics of the writer's career and the politics of the organizations. I would have preferred if it focused more on the stories of the survivors and their coping with the aftereffects of radiation.

[Wendy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Important reflections by an American pediatrician of Japanese ethnicity who’d been a POW in Germany during WWII and conducted some studies of impacts on mothers and children in Nagasaki several years after the bombing. I knew this was a memoir, but hoped for more observations about the child survivors. Still, plenty of appreciation for this doctor’s contributions and struggles.

[Emily]

Was my pick for the Marshall Islands but it was largely about Nagasaki and Hiroshima.

Very impactful.

[Lori Clark-Erickson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Historical Topic: Birth defects from radiation of the atomic bombs
Historical Period: 1945
Lexile Level:
What did you like about the book: You feel close and personal with the feelings of the women and the doctors.
What did you dislike about the book: The book took a while to get into and is depressing hearing the stories of the survivors.
Summary: Dr. James Yamazaki goes to Nagasaki and Hiroshima to study the effects of the radiation from the atomic bombs. Being there helping and listening to the stories from the women that lived through the bomb attack Dr. Yamazaki feels close to his patients and does everything he can to help and learn from the defects of the women themselves and their children.

[Ted · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tono lost six children in the atomic bombing of Nagasaki. Pregnant at the time of the attack she gave birth to a child with an abnormally small head who was unable to speak, had to be fed, had no bladder control, and suffered from mental retardation.

Miya's husband was killed at his place of work. Eight weeks pregnant at the time of the bombing, she suffered a spontaneous abortion a month later. Her seemingly healthy children, two and five years old, died in a matter of weeks.

In Hiroshima some children were having a diving contest and a boy who happened to be underwater when the atom bomb exploded was saved while five others who were out of the water were all killed.

Colonel Paul Tibbets, pilot of the Enola Gay, said that the thousands of civilians killed at Hiroshima were "fair game" and " I've never lost a night's sleep over it, and never will." In any event, " I was just following orders." Victors can say such things.

[Cassandra Lohrstorfer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Horrifying, moving, inspiring. If you ever need a well-written memoir and a reminder about how precious everyday is, this is it.

[Erin]

Q

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

No more Hibakusha

[Max · Rating 2 out of 5]

While the narrative felt disjointed at times, it didn’t make the book any less interesting to read. I think basic research should be done regarding the three atomic bomb explosions mentioned in the title, just to contextualize the situations a bit better.
If you want to learn more about the stories of the “Children of the Atomic Bomb” themselves, I would recommend reading a different book.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review at http://znovels.blogspot.com/2011/05/c...

[Wes Murphy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very informational but very long