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nostalgia_reader 's review for:
Hiroshima
by John Hersey
I was a bit confused as to why this was on my reading list for American Literature this year, but after reading it, I can definitely see why it was. History textbooks, at least for American students, usually glorify World War II and make it seem like we did everything right to win the war. However, they never really attempt to address the affects that our actions, namely the dropping of the bombs, had on the people of other countries. They were sworn enemies, yes, but this book gave them a non-threatening, human personality, something that textbooks ignore in their attempts to glorify the U.S. as the best.
Although my emotions are stunted and in general I'm a very stoic person, this was a very emotional story (even though my brain didn't process it that way). It follows the stories of six people, each of whose lives were affected by the bomb. The after effects, not of the physical destruction, but of the radiation, were generally horrifying to read about... it was as if the whole thing was one big laboratory test on the huge city. The people were able to gradually rebuild their lives after the bombing, however they suffered the life-long sufferings of radiation poisoning and sickness, which, for me, was more difficult to read about then the initial bombing itself.
Hershey succeeded in giving the Japanese a voice and in making them seem as human as everyone else, which, as I mentioned above, is something that's never really addressed in history courses. If you have the opportunity to read this while you're studying American or world history, I would suggest that you at least give it a try, to counteract the glorification of the U.S's actions in World War II.
Although my emotions are stunted and in general I'm a very stoic person, this was a very emotional story (even though my brain didn't process it that way). It follows the stories of six people, each of whose lives were affected by the bomb. The after effects, not of the physical destruction, but of the radiation, were generally horrifying to read about... it was as if the whole thing was one big laboratory test on the huge city. The people were able to gradually rebuild their lives after the bombing, however they suffered the life-long sufferings of radiation poisoning and sickness, which, for me, was more difficult to read about then the initial bombing itself.
Hershey succeeded in giving the Japanese a voice and in making them seem as human as everyone else, which, as I mentioned above, is something that's never really addressed in history courses. If you have the opportunity to read this while you're studying American or world history, I would suggest that you at least give it a try, to counteract the glorification of the U.S's actions in World War II.