Reviews

Sachiko: A Nagasaki Bomb Survivor's Story by Caren Stelson

abigailbat's review against another edition

5.0

This is a riveting story of a survivor the atomic bomb attack on Nagasaki in 1945. Sachiko was 6 years old when the bomb hit her hometown. She was about half a mile away from the center of the explosion. This book shares her description of what it was like to live through such a horrific event and the aftermath when her radiation sickness left it hard for her to concentrate in school, her family members continued to sicken and die of various cancers, and she decided to start talking with people about her experiences in the name of fostering enduring peace.

This is the perfect book for tweens and teens interested in learning more about the bombs but who aren't ready for Hersey's book HIROSHIMA. Lots of archival photos accompany the text, helping to place the reader in the middle of the action. Sections inserted into the narrative give additional information about the atomic bombs, radiation sickness, the Cold War, and more.

clairebear23's review against another edition

emotional fast-paced

5.0

sakisreads's review against another edition

emotional inspiring sad slow-paced

4.0

✨ Thrifted ✨

This was not a book I expected to find in a Bangkok bookstore, but alas. Growing up as a Japanese person whose grandparents had lived through the war, World War 2 and its monstrosities had always been a part of story time. I always had an awareness of Sachikoさん. This story though allowed for a bigger context into how she came to be the ‘survivor’ and how she was inspired by others to also live through trauma. I was interested by her inspirations (e.g. Helen Keller and Martin Luther King Jr.) 😳

This is obviously a very challenging book due to its graphic and tragic nature, but definitely is a starting point to understand 被爆者 (hibakusha) and their experiences. Thank you ❤️

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War

stenaros's review against another edition

4.0

Read for Librarian Book Group

The story of a survivor of the Nagasaki Bombing. This would be a great companion to any study of WWII, especially a study of the war in the Pacific. The story was top-notch. The maps were terrible and would have been better being left out.

baronessekat's review against another edition

5.0

A gripping and engrossing biography of a woman who, at the age of 6, survived the bombing of Nagasaki and then had to deal with the horrific medical, mental, financial, environmental and cultural fallout from the experience.

This is a short book but well worth the 3+ hours to listen to it.

laleha's review against another edition

4.0

I really wish the school library's copy hadn't gone AWOL. Purchased in 2016 and added to the list of engaging non-fiction I offer freshmen, marked lost in 2018 when I couldn't find it for said assignment. After having flipped through it and been curious, I grabbed this as a fast audiobook on Hoopla. Sachiko's evocative story as a Nagasaki survivor and a peace advocate left me contemplating the atrocities of atomic warfare. I adamantly hope her message of "never again" is realized.

sunflowerjess's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

This is an absolutely heartbreaking and necessary book. It is the true story of Sachiko, beginning from the time of the Nagasaki atomic bomb and continuing through its horrific lifelong repercussions. This book is graphic but sensitive; it does not sugarcoat and it does not have any easy information. It is essential reading.

dani_mae's review against another edition

informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

3.5

cloudss's review against another edition

dark informative medium-paced

3.0

comprehensive memoir. putting into context outside of one experience is not where it excels 

dianis34's review against another edition

Asian Readathon: Book 10 for AAPI month!