Author: John Hersey
# of Pages: 152 (hardback)
Genre: Non-fiction, War, History
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Synopsis: On August 6, 1945, Hiroshima was destroyed by the first atom bomb ever dropped on a city. This book, John Hersey's journalistic masterpiece, tells what happened on that day. Told through the memories of survivors, this timeless, powerful and compassionate document has become a classic "that stirs the conscience of humanity" (The New York Times).
Almost four decades after the original publication of this celebrated book, John Hersey went back to Hiroshima in search of the people whose stories he had told. His account of what he discovered about them is now the eloquent and moving final chapter of Hiroshima.
Review: After reading - and enjoying - BOMB by Steve Sheinkin and Night by Elie Wiesel, I wasn't surprised that I gravitated towards Hiroshima.
It wasn't as insightful as I was hoping for. I wanted to learn more about the bombing of Hiroshima that I already didn't know, and I didn't learn as much as I wanted. The writing style left a lot to be desired; it didn't explore as much of the emotional side as I wanted it to. It wasn't until the fifth section, the Aftermath, when I really started to enjoy the book.
One major aspect of this book that I disliked was the fact that it was about six different people. Even though it is written in third-person, the constant back-and forth is as degrading and confusing as first person. This may be the reason why I liked then ending the best; it went through each person without the switching.
IF you are interested in learning more about the bombing of Hiroshima, then, yes, read this book. If you are looking for recreational reading, this may not be the book for you.
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