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A sobering account of Aug. 6, 1945, the day that the U.S. dropped the first atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima, Japan. The book highlights 6 people who survived the attack and follows their life stories in the days, weeks and decades afterwards. The writing is is bit too dispassionate and journalistic for me (reads in many places more like lists: “on this date this happened, and on that date this other thing happened.” Still, an important read.

Last year I read Fallout: The Hiroshima Cover-Up And The Reporter Who Revealed It To The World by Lesley M.M. Blume, so this year I added Hiroshima by John Hersey to my 23 in ‘23 list. This poor little copy from our library is starting to fall apart…the reporting by Hersey is excellent and knowing the back-story of how the government wanted to cover up the after-effects of the bombing makes it that much more incredible. #bookspinbingo

#bookspin Hiroshima #doublespin the White Rose #bookspinbingo 2

#bookspin Hiroshima

Hersey follows 6 survivors of the first atomic bomb used against Japan as they struggled to survive, to cope with their injuries and the deaths of so many around them. The will to survive and the concern to help others among these survivors is genuinely heroic. Reading this in high school, my reaction was “meh”; 55 years later my perspective is dramatically different. Hersey lets the reader draw their own conclusions about the morality of war.

Bk8 of August & Bk5 of #AwesomeAugust #readathon is done! Read as an audiobook on Scribd, I finished it today whilst sewing in the ends for my new scarf. I‘m very happy with it, but I‘m not sure if I should make tassels for the ends or leave them alone? The book was horrifying, tragic & very informative. Told from the POV of a few residents of the city, it describes a hellscape I‘m not sure I‘d want to live through.War is hell. #NonFictionBingo👇

At the end of Day 6 of #AwesomeAugust #readathon I have finished my chunky scarf!! The last few hours I‘ve been #audioknitting to the tagged book, a NF about what it was like to be in Hiroshima the day the bomb fell, which was probably not the best pick before bed(awful isn‘t the word🤭)but it got me over the finish line of my project. First time I‘ve knitted something in over 30yrs! Feeling very proud of myself right now💁🏻‍♀️(excuse the pjs).

I need to read happier books.
Http://www.instagram.com/theadl

#7days7books that had an impact on me - Day 3
#JohnJersey #Hiroshima

#7days7books that changed me or left a strong impression. Day 1

If you are interested in how much damage an Atomic Bomb can do, this is the book for you.

Finally finished this read. It can be read in one setting. But yeah. My life got in the way.

I know I take too long to finish a real book. But who's keeping score but yourself? Just keep reading.

Me and my freaking unhealthy boba (bubble tea) again 😒

Just started.

I read this book in high school, but the sheer enormity of the event never sunk in then. Now that I am older and able to better process these numbers (and living in a city of approximately 100,000 people), I find it simply staggering.

Not exactly light holiday reading, but this is what my daughter and I are reading now. This book came about as we were discussing the bombing of Hiroshima and the subsequent independence of Korea. (She became interested in K-pop over the last year, which has become an obsession with all things Korean—language, history, geography, culture—which has led us down many interesting rabbit holes for homeschool.) Lots of deep discussions ahead!

Long

Thanks to @vivastory ‘s post, I just downloaded FREE on Kindle “The Bibliophile‘s Devotional”. I learned that on August 6, 1945, the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. Somehow, I never read this. Added to my ever growing #tbr.

Hersey's short book, written nine months after the nuclear holocaust that engulfed Hiroshima, brought to the USA a vivid accounting of the consequences of its use of that indiscriminate weapon of mass destruction. Hersey intertwines the stories of six survivors of the bombing, sparing no detail of the horror they experienced, and the horrors they witnessed. It beggars belief that with testimonies like this, governments still play with these toys.

I have to say this book is not pleasant, not that I expected it to be given the subject matter. The way in which Hersey presents the bombing of Hiroshima is matter-of-fact and effective. His ability to write in such a dispassionate way about Hiroshima leaves the reader to decide for themselves how they feel about the bombing. The book follows 6 people before, immediately after, weeks after, and years after Hiroshima. It's an eye opening book.

This #shortbook has haunted me ever since I read it in school years ago. When I found this vintage copy for sale I had to pick it up. Might be time for a re-read.
#30DaysofReadathon

Nuclear sunset, last night in the mountains north of Los Angeles: "Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds." -- Robert Oppenheimer, quoting from Hindu scripture after witnessing the first atomic blast in world history.

Reposting this info from @AndrewK106 who has a friend starting a campaign to enlighten our next President about the dangers of nuclear expansion. After having read Hope in the Dark this month, I think this protest against the threat of nuclear proliferation is massively important!

I ordered two books - one to read and one to send. Lots of used options available. Will you join us?

Though it took great restraint, I tried to be very respectful in encouraging our president elect to reconsider his stance on nuclear armament #sendtrumpabook

This is not a political post, this is a humanitarian plea. There is no place in this world for nuclear weapons. I ask anyone who has read Hiroshima to say different. To that end, my friend is organizing a campaign to send copies of the book to the incoming administration. Please visit https://sendtrumpabook.wordpress.com/

"He reached down and took a woman by her hands, but her skin slipped off in huge, glovelike pieces." Good luck getting that image out of your mind.
Seriously this is a brutal read, but a necessary one. I picked it up because I have a friend who is organizing a campaign to mail copies of this book to the White House for the new administration, in light of the incoming Commander-in-Chief's tweet. Comment or PM if interested in participating.

I had a plan of what I was going to read next, but I work at a library, so now I have no idea... #onebookonephiladelphia #lemonysnicket #librarylife

I typically hate learning history but this was a good read. Really devastating stuff. It gave me nightmares of being surrounded by dead shriveled up bodies. Ugh, god bless. 😰

I don't recall reading any books as a class in high school just one or two for book reports. And I was in AP English! I do remember reading this for my only English class in college. It has stuck with me over the years for many reasons. I just wish I had kept my copy! #photoadaynov16 #readinschool

20th book of the year. Yay for milestones. My coworker lent this one to me. Need to finish and return asap. Also have heard good things.

Two sort of #textonlycovers books for #booktober.

I have a weird obsession: nuclear war. I find it fascinating and read everything from the science behind making atomic bombs to the history/game theory of the decisions behind bombing Japan, as well as personal accounts and science fiction.

These are two journalistic accounts from the New Yorker published in 2015 as a pair. One from Hiroshima and one from a recent break in to a weapons facility.

Finally read this. Feels like essential reading for every human on the planet.

Thank you @KimHM for the recommendation. I read this all in one day. The total destruction from the atomic bomb is so hard to fathom. Entire buildings were obliterated by the force of the explosion. This book follows the lives of 6 people in Hiroshima at the time the bomb went off. It is told in a matter of fact, clinical style that only accentuates the horrors they endured.

If you haven't read this and /or don't own a copy, The New Yorker is allowing online access to the version it published 70 years ago this week. The link is here, at The Millions http://www.themillions.com/2016/08/invitation-hesitate-john-herseys-hiroshima.ht....

I got in 9 pages before falling asleep between SKC and LAX. But LAX to Lima will give me plenty of time to finish!

71 years ago today the US became the first and only country to use nuclear weapons against another country. John Hersey's account originally appeared as an issue of the New Yorker. It's now a book I use to teach World War II to my sophomores each year.

Picked this up at my visit to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. Excited to read it on the flight home.

Heartbreaking