Hiroshima

Highly Recommended

John Hersey, a devoted writer and editor, tells the tales of six survivors who lived through the greatest single manmade disaster in history, in the book Hiroshima. The vivid descriptions of the experiences these people went thorough gave me chills. The scenes sounded too disturbing to even be true. But the entire book was very factual. Roads being so hot they were soft, human flesh slipping off from the lightest touch, and humans vanishing with only ash outlines to prove their existence. These descriptions were told so well they sound unimaginable. Although this book was interesting to read, I found myself getting bored and distracted easily. The lack of dialogue and a main plot made me get lost throughout the story and unexcited to keep reading. Although I was bored when reading most of the novel, I felt very compassionate towards these survivors, for they had risked their lives to help others in need. I was able to connect with this story because I visited the city of Hiroshima a couple years ago. The city is bustling and lively, filled with people. I couldn't imagine the horror these six survivors went through. I got to see the A-bomb dome, the largest building still existing from the time the bomb was dropped. The Sadako statue filled with colorful cases and thousands of cranes makes me happy that our world is striving for peace. But the images I witnessed in the peace memorial looked so similarly to the mental pictures I could visualize while reading. If someone were interested in Japanese history and facts then I would highly recommend this book. But for a person looking for an exciting story and plot I wouldn't. Overall this was a very decent book that informed me but didn't hold my attention through out the whole novel.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

You'll love this book!

Hiroshima, by John Hersey, is a historical book about two women, and four men that survived the atomic bomb on August 6th, 1945. It talks about what the six survivors were doing when the bomb went off, what they had to go through for many months, what sorts of devistation did they see, and their emotions. Their emotions like in mourning, dissapointment, anger, sadness, or relief. This book also shows a lot about the Japanese culture. Its also a good book because it doesnt just give you facts, but stories that will stay in your mind. This book might be a little gruesome since the bomb caused such chaos and killed many.If you're looking for a good historical book that tells both sides of the story : the American side and the Japanese side, this is a good book. However, in the begining, I was confused about the characters. There are six characters making it hard to follow each individual without getting cunfused on who is who. However, later on in the book, some people tie together in each others lives making it easier to remember who is each character.

3 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

Classic Work - Poor Copy

Full of mis-scanned words, lacking logical breaks, preceded by a preface in tiny type that cannot be changed - this book was a disappointment. This was a second reading for me - but the nook edition was difficult to navigate. Thanks to John Hersey for recording the story of the 1945 bombing at Hiroshima, but no thanks to the publisher.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

The Price of the Atomic Bomb

.the change was too sudden, from a busy city of two hundred and forty-five thousand that morning to a mere pattern of residue in the after. (page 40) The atomic bomb signaled the end of World War II, but it came with a terrible price. The excerpt above describes one of the devastating effects of the atomic bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. Because of the bomb, people suffered, many died, families were destroyed, a whole city faced destruction, and the few that survived were scarred for life. John Hersey captures all of these in his novel Hiroshima. John Hersey skillfully captures the stories of six survivors of the atomic bomb in Hiroshima. Through his writing, he demonstrates his knowledge and thorough research of this tragic event and the stories of the six survivors. It was easy to picture the surroundings and the suffering of the people because he stated it as the survivors saw it. Hersey's writing style was dry because he did not use sensory and concrete detail as much as he could of. Still, the subject and seriousness of his memoir made me think of the bombing of Hiroshima as more that just an event in history, but also as a turning point in thousands of peoples' lives. In my opinion, I believe that Hiroshima was a satisfactory memoir, and I neither liked nor disliked it. Intellectually, this book was excellent. It included accurate facts and stories and was well-researched. It had a strong basis and interesting subject. As a reader, though, I found this memoir a bit boring. I was expecting more dialogue and for the story to be told from the survivors' point of view. Instead, the majority of the book was narration, stating what happened to the characters instead of focusing on their emotional thoughts. Despite of this, Hiroshima is an interesting memoir to read because it focuses on a subject that has not been explored by many authors.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

A Life Changing Flash

Hiroshima, by John Hersey illustrates the events that took place on August 6, 1945, and its effects on the hibakusha, or A-Bomb victims. The book is very factual, and the narrator tells this in third person perspectives of six everyday people.
Overall, I did not care much for this book. It lacked the ability so maintain my attention, and I often got bored while reading it. One of the main reasons why it didn't grasp my attention was because the whole story is basically told by the narrator, with very little dialogue. If choosing to read this book to learn about the events that occurred, and the hardships that the hibakusha faced,then I would recommend this book. If choosing to read this book for pleasure, then I wound not suggest it because of its inability to engage the reader for a large amount of time.
As a person of Japanese descent, this book was able to connect to me as a reader. The plot is very detailed in events that took place, giving me a good picture illustrating the hardships that took place not only on that day, but throughout the decades that followed. This book displays the pride of the Japanese culture, and the willingness of the hibakusha to do whatever it takes to help the greater cause.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Highly Recommended - one of the best memoirs I have ever read!

Hiroshima, by John Hersey, describes the story of the atomic bombing and its affect on the lives of six Japanese people. On August 6, 1945, the story begins when one of the first atomic bombs ever used on another country devastates Hiroshima, leaving six survivors. These people are Dr. Masakazu Fujii, Reverend Mr. Kiyoshi Tanimoto, Dr. Terufumi Sasaki, Father Wilhelm Kleinsorge, Mrs. Hatsuyo Nakamura, and Toshiko Sasaki. The author describes the affects of the bombing from all six points of view, and it gives us a clear view of the emotions of each individual and how they cope with the traumatic experience. As the book progresses we see how the characters grow into heroes among each other because of their motivation to attempt to rescue others who have been badly injured by the atomic bomb. I really enjoyed reading this book because I love reading about events that have happened in Japan's history. I also liked this book because of the way the author portrays the emotions of each of the characters. It made me feel the fear, anger, or nervousness that was in the mind of the characters. Overall I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is interested in reading about an event in Japanese history and likes to be able to connect emotions with the characters. This is an excellent book and I'm glad that I took the time to read this amazing story.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

A Different Point of View

This story was told simply. It felt as though you were reading a reporter's story notes. You get a true sense of the horror and confusion of the day and those that followed.
It is interesting to follow each person from where they were at the momoment of impact. As they move through that day and the next days, weeks and months (then years), it is interesting to see how various people react to the same event and how little decisions make a difference in the outcome.
It is good to know the impact of war. No matter how much you believe in the cause and support the actions taken, there is a cost. If we lose sight of the ramifications of waging war - that it does take lives of real people- then war will become too easy.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Not the greatest...

An okay book, but I think it needed some background information and context about World War II and WHY the bombs were dropped. This book just focused on the horror, and oh, how terrible we Americans are for dropping the bomb. But it never gives OUR reasons.

The Untold Stories: Hiroshima

I have read the book, Hiroshima by John Hersey, and I thought it was pretty good. Not knowing really what to expect when I first read it, I was surprised by how much detailed description he had. I liked how each character had a totally different story. Some were tragic but others were not so bad. Overall, this book was just sad because to think that some one so sinister would do this to a populated city is so very wrong. I couldn't get over the fact that we Americans would do something so inhumane. I liked how John Hersey wrote the book, in like a sort of journal-like way. I would have enjoyed the book a little more if it were in 1st person narrations then 3rd, but that I just my opinion. I thought most of the characters acted calmly and well for such a big situation. One of them, Mrs. Hatsuyo Nakamura, had to take care of herself and her children. She is also the one who went through the most, coming down with radiation sickness later in the book and having to go through poverty. This book was a good book for people who don't know what really happened in Hiroshima, and for those who want to know the untold stories of these six survivors. I loved this book, and I hope, for anyone who decides to read it, that they will love it too.

Read this

I found this book to be very interesting, it took a moment to keep the people strate because the story jumps from one to another,

Inspiring

The book is very inspiring and great. it really shows how disasterous the atom bomb was!!

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Real

A real story of real people. Devastatingly harsh in reality. This book was a great read! Makes you feel grateful for the things you have and resentful against the warlike nature of human beings. MUST READ.

Great, classic book,bad scan

The book's a classic, but the scan job is horrible. Half way in, there are paragraphs missing and so much /#@ kind of stuff scattered into the words it's hard to read. Had I know how bad the scan job was, I wouldn't have bought this version.

Book excellent, nook edition not so much

The writing is compelling and the story wrenching but the Nook edition is so full of mistakes as to be almost unreadable.

Hiroshima: An excellent story about the truth

The book, Hiroshima, by John Hersey, is a story about the struggle for survival for six defferent Japanese citizens during the bombing of Hiroshima. The book takes the reader from minutes to hours before the bomb was dropped in each person's perspectives. The six characters are Mrs. Nakamura, a tailor's widdow, Dr. Sasaki, a surgeon at the Red Cross Hospital, Father Kleinsorge, a German preist, Miss Sasaki, a young clerk working at a tin factory, Mr. Fujii, a doctor at a local clinic, and Mr. Tanimoto, a Methodist pastor. Throughout the story, each person struggles to survive sickness, sleep deprivation from helping the ill, and helping eachother to survive.

I felt this book was an excellent book to read not only for school but for personal enjoyment. I read this book once for school, but later I decided to read it again because it was that good! I feel Hersey does a great job of adding the emotional effect to each page as the reader flips through the book. His writing style is fantastic because he is able to print the images (no matter how horrific) into the reader's mind to really keep the seriousness of the story present. This book also does a great job of showing readers the horror of the bombing and why the atomic bomb is such a dangerous weapon. Parts such as when Mr. Tanimoto is running through the debris and seeing all of the injured and dying people call for help really intensify the experience of reading this book. Overall, a very touching, fantastic book for readers at least in middle school. Hopefully this book will show people what war looks like at its ugliest.

It WAs Alright

Hiroshima Book Review
In the book Hiroshima by John Hersey, it was about the first nuclear bomb ever dropped in combat. The atomic bomb was dropped on the city of Hiroshima in Japan. The book was about the stories of the people who were able to survive against all of the odds of the bomb. They survived the impact, the radiation, and the damage of the bomb. The theme of the book was to show how chaotic things were for the civilians in Hiroshima after the bomb was dropped. What I liked about the book was how it showed the impact it had on people from all sides of where the bomb was dropped. I also liked how it told how far away the survivors were from the explosion. What I didn't like about the book was how sad it was to read what happened to these people and how their lives would never be the same. I wouldn't recommend this book anyone because it is so sad. I also wouldn't recommend it because I don't think America should have dropped the bomb on Hiroshima. John Hersey has written a lot of other books such as, The Wall and The Call. They are both nonfiction books that are about majors parts of history. My overall rating for this book would be a two out of five stars. It was interesting but hard to read.

Great read

Told from several differnt view points. Very interesting

bad

bad