Scan barcode
krpollard's review against another edition
5.0
This should be required reading for everyone. Nakazawa brilliantly conveys the complexity of a nation at war, and the ways that everyday people are forced to act in unjust systems. He furthermore does so without ever suggesting that his characters have all the answers: Gen, the protagonist, makes mistakes as he learns how to think for himself; Shinji, Gen's little brother, often acts selfishly though he tries to learn to think of others; and their father, a self-proclaimed pacifist, beats his children out of love. I left this comic grappling with some heavy questions.
scarletohhara's review against another edition
5.0
This book is all kinds of trigger warning, but is a must read. We all know the holocaust caused by the A-Bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. But I bet none of us read this from the perspective of someone who actually was alive at that time in that place.
These drawings being to life the horrifying time the author has gone through when the bomb was dropped. But before that, the author depicts so well the impact of the pro-war brainwash in the Japanese society - families believing their children’s lives are worth only if they die in the war, calling anyone who calls out the war as a traitor and denouncing their families, Kamikaze fighters, soldiers in suicide bomber vests falling under the American tanks, civilians choosing death over living in the defeated Okinawa island - all these are examples the author so well shows in this book.
I winced and held my heart throughout this book.
And I’ll read the rest in this series too.
This is an effort to learn more about our history, man’s cruelty towards another man and the lengths one will go to, to be a ‘victor’. I see why the author wanted this story translated into English and other languages, and am glad I read it for that very reason.
These drawings being to life the horrifying time the author has gone through when the bomb was dropped. But before that, the author depicts so well the impact of the pro-war brainwash in the Japanese society - families believing their children’s lives are worth only if they die in the war, calling anyone who calls out the war as a traitor and denouncing their families, Kamikaze fighters, soldiers in suicide bomber vests falling under the American tanks, civilians choosing death over living in the defeated Okinawa island - all these are examples the author so well shows in this book.
I winced and held my heart throughout this book.
And I’ll read the rest in this series too.
This is an effort to learn more about our history, man’s cruelty towards another man and the lengths one will go to, to be a ‘victor’. I see why the author wanted this story translated into English and other languages, and am glad I read it for that very reason.
beauytoy's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
sad
tense
fast-paced
5.0
michaildimdrakomathioulakis's review against another edition
5.0
So direct, so human!!! A must read!!!
Τόσο άμεσο, τόσο ανθρώπινο!!! Διαβάστε το!!!
Τόσο άμεσο, τόσο ανθρώπινο!!! Διαβάστε το!!!
sloatsj's review against another edition
4.0
I bought this for my son and thought I'd give it a whirl, too. The story is very powerful and engrossing. The comic format increases that power, I think, because of the exaggerated visuals that bring across the physical impact of the war. This is a moving family story told from a boy's point of view. As if the hardship and desperation of wartime Japan weren't enough, the atomic bomb falls and makes the horror story complete. And it really is a horror story above all.
I was happy to see my 13-year old intently reading it. I'm glad he did.
I was happy to see my 13-year old intently reading it. I'm glad he did.
earlybirdie94's review against another edition
4.0
I watched the movie many years ago and it really stuck with me. The manga of course fleshes it out more, and has a major impact getting to know everyone.
Reading challenge-A book with an orange cover (So I own a LOT of books, so I'm adjusting the reading challenge to get them off my TBR and stock piling.)
Reading challenge-A book with an orange cover (So I own a LOT of books, so I'm adjusting the reading challenge to get them off my TBR and stock piling.)
misstea's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
tense
4.0
vincentkonrad's review against another edition
5.0
One of the first long comics I read, and I still feel it somewhere in my flesh