An Anthology of the Experiences of Hiroshima Atomic Bomb Victims

by Hiroshima Association for the Success of the Atomic Bomb Exhibition

After 60 years, A-bomb survivors speak out. This book is an English translation of the original book "An Anthology of the Experiences of Hiroshima Atomic Bomb Victims" published in Japanese in 2005. We hope that this book will contribute to people from all over the world hiring the true voice of the Hiroshima A-bomb victims, with the aim of the abolition of nuclear weapons, and the realization of a peaceful world. --Editorial Staff

Genres: Japan, Nonfiction, History

80 pages, Paperback

Published November 25, 2010

Reviews

[Emily Komiyama · Rating 5 out of 5]

After visiting the Hiroshima memorial last week, I picked this up in the souvenir shop and my god. My heart is shattered. My glass ceiling of privilege has been shattered. Why are humans so evil. Why is war still built into this planet's DNA when such horrific atrocities like this have happened in the past.

The memorial is a must visit, and this is a brilliant fly on the wall collection of survivors of the attack. Brutal though. So brutal.

[Kathy Piselli · Rating 4 out of 5]

In 2001 when the association that produced the exhibit accompanying this booklet was formed, it must have been feared that young Japanese were going to forget the experiences of their elders who suffered through the atomic bomb attacks of World War II. "Help each other when you are faced with difficult situations" exhorts one survivor. So many survivors did - here you will read over and over about children as young as ten helping tend the victims under the most horrible circumstances. "I tried to make a game of running around scaring flies off people's burned or puss-filled wounds" remembers a girl who was eleven at the time, after helping carry feces outside for those who could not move. Can you imagine doing that at eleven, or a child of yours doing that? "I hate war." states another. "The gods made us to help each other." Not only did they learn this bitter lesson just after the blast, but many endured the pain of rejection by those not exposed, afraid the survivors could give them "atomic bomb disease". Is politics present? Absolutely - these are not people who have the luxury of ignoring politics. All these survivors wish is for war to end, and for nuclear weapons to be banned forevermore. A few remain angry at the Americans. One who was drafted was angry that his life had been turned upside down by the war. "Please let Japan remain the only country to have experienced the A-bomb" he pleads.

The booklet includes a map so you can understand the locations mentioned in these raw and heartfelt memories. The cover bears before and after images of the Industry Promotion Building, now a UNESCO world heritage site, the Atomic Bomb Dome.

[Polly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the personal stories and learned a lot from them. However, the translation was rough. It made the reading difficult and frustrating at times.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

So emotional to hear some of these stories.

[Nick · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this book at the outstanding Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum a few years ago and finally got around to reading it. It is a collection of short accounts by people who survived the blast and it is harrowing. The original text has been translated into English by volunteers, and although the translation is a bit shaky here and there, the message is perfectly clear.

This book is reminiscent of Hiroshima by John Hersey, which was published only a year after the bombing (available for free on the New Yorker website), although the stories in Hersey's book are a bit more fleshed out.

In the West there has been a decades long right wing propaganda campaign still being paraded to this day by authors like Max Hastings which purports that Japan was "spared" as the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were allegedly an alternative to a full scale invasion of Japan. This is simply not true, something which journalist Paul Ham shows in great detail in his outstanding book Hiroshima Nagasaki: The Real Story of the Atomic Bombings and Their Aftermath. I would recommend reading Paul Ham's book before this one as it gives some context if you're not familiar with the Hiroshima bombing.

[sierra · Rating 5 out of 5]

there were a few translation errors but overall I feel that this is one of the most important books I’ve ever read