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The Hiroshima Boy: His Extraordinary True Story of Survival and Hope
Not yet published
Expected 12 May 26
As the soldiers lifted me from the floor, my father's eyes locked with my own. For just a moment, I thought I saw a shadow of sadness across his face. But it disappeared as quickly as it had arrived, replaced with my father's look of perpetual determination. "You'll find me at the hospital," I said to him. He made no response to this. "Be well, Shinji," he replied to me.
Shinji Mikamo, a teenager, is on the roof of his house, working with his father, when there is a blinding flash. When he regains consciousness, he is severely injured, burned all over his body, and buried in the rubble of a building. Somehow, his father manages to pull him out, and together they begin to search for help. They were - it turned out - only 1200 metres away from the centre of the explosion.
The Hiroshima Boy tells the story of Shinji and his father's journey through Hiroshima as they come face to face with the utter destruction of the city and meet neighbours, friends and strangers enduring unimaginable agony. Running from an enormous fire engulfing their neighbourhood, they reach the banks of the Kyobashi River. But the water provides little comfort, and the scenes they find there are devastating. For the next four days, they roam, searching for food, water and refuge in excruciating pain. Eventually, they reach a village outside Hiroshima City, where Shinji is able to be transferred to a hospital. But to do so he must leave his father, not knowing whether he will ever see him again...
Told simply and powerfully, The Hiroshima Boy is an extraordinary first-person account of survival, suffering, courage and hope.
Shinji Mikamo, a teenager, is on the roof of his house, working with his father, when there is a blinding flash. When he regains consciousness, he is severely injured, burned all over his body, and buried in the rubble of a building. Somehow, his father manages to pull him out, and together they begin to search for help. They were - it turned out - only 1200 metres away from the centre of the explosion.
The Hiroshima Boy tells the story of Shinji and his father's journey through Hiroshima as they come face to face with the utter destruction of the city and meet neighbours, friends and strangers enduring unimaginable agony. Running from an enormous fire engulfing their neighbourhood, they reach the banks of the Kyobashi River. But the water provides little comfort, and the scenes they find there are devastating. For the next four days, they roam, searching for food, water and refuge in excruciating pain. Eventually, they reach a village outside Hiroshima City, where Shinji is able to be transferred to a hospital. But to do so he must leave his father, not knowing whether he will ever see him again...
Told simply and powerfully, The Hiroshima Boy is an extraordinary first-person account of survival, suffering, courage and hope.
240 pages, Paperback
Expected publication May 12, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
When I used to live in Japan, I had the opportunity to visit Hiroshima and I absolutely loved it; it honestly might have been one of my favorite cities and the people were so incredibly kind. I visited the Peace Memorial Museum and walked around in the city, so I was very happy to be able to read an arc of The Hiroshima Boy.
The book is well-written and it pulled me in straight away. It's easy to connect with Shinji and you root for him throughout the entire novel, and it's really harrowing to read about what these survivors went through, especially in the first days after the bombing.
I found the story of Shinji and his father to be profoundly touching and I so desperately wanted father and son to be reunited; it was a beautiful story of a father fighting to keep his son alive and the son struggling to survive after the first atomic bomb attack the world had ever seen.
To me, it's truly remarkable how the people of Hiroshima started rebuilding their city almost right away. Despite Shinji and his father meeting some less than nice people (the soldiers), I felt that for the most part, the people they met along the way helped them the best they could, helping their fellow survivors with the little resources they had.
But just how does a city rebuild after being almost razed to the ground? How do you keep going after almost half the population is killed? I found the story of Shinji, and the people of Hiroshima, to be inspiring, proving that humans can pull through even in the most dire situations.
During my time in Hiroshima, I also visited the museum of Fukuro-Machi Elementary School, 460 meters away from the hypocenter, where there is a concrete wall on display. On that wall, you can see names written in chalk written by survivors desperately looking for family members. Just like Shinji, people were trying to reconnect with their loved ones after surviving such a horrific ordeal. Reading this book after having visited these sites in person made it even more emotional.
I would recommend this novel to anyone who has even the slightest interest in World War 2 or Japan, and it's a very well-written novel. It reminds you that these awful things, this unnecessary death and suffering, actually happened. A very strong 4.5 stars.
I’d like to thank the author, publisher and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this arc.
The book is well-written and it pulled me in straight away. It's easy to connect with Shinji and you root for him throughout the entire novel, and it's really harrowing to read about what these survivors went through, especially in the first days after the bombing.
I found the story of Shinji and his father to be profoundly touching and I so desperately wanted father and son to be reunited; it was a beautiful story of a father fighting to keep his son alive and the son struggling to survive after the first atomic bomb attack the world had ever seen.
To me, it's truly remarkable how the people of Hiroshima started rebuilding their city almost right away. Despite Shinji and his father meeting some less than nice people (the soldiers), I felt that for the most part, the people they met along the way helped them the best they could, helping their fellow survivors with the little resources they had.
But just how does a city rebuild after being almost razed to the ground? How do you keep going after almost half the population is killed? I found the story of Shinji, and the people of Hiroshima, to be inspiring, proving that humans can pull through even in the most dire situations.
During my time in Hiroshima, I also visited the museum of Fukuro-Machi Elementary School, 460 meters away from the hypocenter, where there is a concrete wall on display. On that wall, you can see names written in chalk written by survivors desperately looking for family members. Just like Shinji, people were trying to reconnect with their loved ones after surviving such a horrific ordeal. Reading this book after having visited these sites in person made it even more emotional.
I would recommend this novel to anyone who has even the slightest interest in World War 2 or Japan, and it's a very well-written novel. It reminds you that these awful things, this unnecessary death and suffering, actually happened. A very strong 4.5 stars.
I’d like to thank the author, publisher and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this arc.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This book was one of the most powerful and emotionally affecting historical reads I’ve ever experienced. The Hiroshima Boy tells the story of what happened to the Mikamo family in Japan when the atomic bomb was dropped, but it does so through the eyes of ordinary people whose lives were forever changed. Their stories are heartbreaking, inspiring, and deeply relatable.
What struck me most was how this book went beyond dates and facts. It made history feel personal. I didn’t just learn what happened—I felt it with them. The fear, the loss, the resilience, and the quiet courage of the Japanese people came through on every page. It gave me a much deeper understanding of the real cost of war and the long-lasting impact it had on families and entire communities.
Despite the tragedy, there was also so much strength in this story. The way their community helped one another, survived the unimaginable, and kept going made it incredibly moving. This book left me changed, more aware, and more grateful.
If you want a historical book that truly stays with you, The Hiroshima Boy is an unforgettable and important read.
What struck me most was how this book went beyond dates and facts. It made history feel personal. I didn’t just learn what happened—I felt it with them. The fear, the loss, the resilience, and the quiet courage of the Japanese people came through on every page. It gave me a much deeper understanding of the real cost of war and the long-lasting impact it had on families and entire communities.
Despite the tragedy, there was also so much strength in this story. The way their community helped one another, survived the unimaginable, and kept going made it incredibly moving. This book left me changed, more aware, and more grateful.
If you want a historical book that truly stays with you, The Hiroshima Boy is an unforgettable and important read.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Dr Akiko Mikamo (psychologist) narrates the harrowing, emotionally draining story of her father, Shinji, who miraculously survived the devastating 1945 Hiroshima bombing. At the age of 19, Shinji was severely burned and buried on his rooftop, a mere 1,200 meters from the epicenter of the catastrophe. Miraculously, his father rescued him, and together they embarked on a perilous journey to escape the inferno and the raging fires, enduring four agonizing days by the riverbank.
Amidst the chaos, Shinji received care in a nearby village, but he was separated from his father, leaving him uncertain about their future reunion.
Through this beautifully crafted narrative, Dr Mikamo examines survival, courage, forgiveness and the enduring power of hope. This biography has had a deeply emotional pull on my heart.
**I would like to express my gratitude to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read this gifted ebook in exchange for an honest review. #ARC #NetGalley
#TheHiroshimaBoy
Amidst the chaos, Shinji received care in a nearby village, but he was separated from his father, leaving him uncertain about their future reunion.
Through this beautifully crafted narrative, Dr Mikamo examines survival, courage, forgiveness and the enduring power of hope. This biography has had a deeply emotional pull on my heart.
**I would like to express my gratitude to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read this gifted ebook in exchange for an honest review. #ARC #NetGalley
#TheHiroshimaBoy
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
An absolutely extraordinary book - the title doesn't exaggerate at all! The writing of Akiko's fathers experience of that fateful day of the Hiroshima bomb makes you feel every moment, every experience, pain, utter sadness and hopelessness, small acts of kindness - everything like no other book I've ever read before. It is so hard to put into words the impact this book had on me. I can recall watching a movie in school about the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings (around the early 70's) and being taught something along the lines that well they started it but look what we did kind of thing. As a young teenager at the time - you tend to believe what you are taught by your elders. In my opinion, this book should be required reading in all history classes. It is one of the best reads for me ever. Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Having recently read The Doctor of Hiroshima by Michihiko Hachiya I requested the ARC of The Hiroshima Boy as I was interested in reading about the event from another perspective. The Hiroshima Boy was definitely more of a lay-persons viewpoint and had far less history, dates, names and of course, medical jargon in it. This certainly made it far interesting to read but I also felt like it left me wanting just a little more. Without sounding like Snow White cliche wannabe, I think there is possibly a middle ground between the styles of these two books that would have felt perfect. The Hiroshima Boy covers quite a large period of time and whilst I enjoyed reading about the longer term aftermath and how the events affected the rest of their lives, it did feel like certain times/points were swept past with only brief information. Akiko did write about the actual event and his and his Father's immediate struggles so painfully raw and beautiful. These were the moments that hit the hardest and I was heartbroken and shocked at the lack of help the authorities were willing to give the injured. As mentioned, Akiko also wrote about the years after the bomb and it was very interesting to read about how the town and the people rebuilt their lives and the impact that the bomb and the US Army had on the economy.
I did really enjoy this book despite wanting a little more from it. Thank you to the publishers and to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in return for an honest opinion.
I did really enjoy this book despite wanting a little more from it. Thank you to the publishers and to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in return for an honest opinion.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews