Hiroshima
(John Hersey)

The army of the United States sent a bomb into Hiroshima, Japan on August 6, 1945. The population of Hiroshima was approximately 250,000 people; of these 250,000 one hundred thousand were killed and one hundred thousand more were injured.

Hersey chronicles the lives of six people who survived the bombing, telling their stories from the moment the bomb is dropped until a few months after the bombing. “Hiroshima” tells the story of the grisly reality that was faced by the Japanese people that was never before realized by Americans. Of the characters, two are religious figures, Reverend Kiyoshi Tanimoto and Father Wilhelm Kleinsorge, a Jesuit priest.

Two other survivors are both doctors; Dr. Masakazu Fujii and Dr. Terufumi Sasaki and the final two survivors showcased are women; Toshiko Sasaki and and Mrs. Nakamura. The characters try to help as many people as they can after the bombing while still helping themselves and worrying about their loved ones that are either missing or confirmed dead. The final chapter documents the survivors’ lives forty years after the bombing.

The survivors of Hiroshima work to come to grips with what has happened to them and in some cases do their best to help others later in life, especially those who are affected by the many side effects that have occurred since the bombing. Those who managed to survive show unity, pride in their country, and perseverance in the face of unthinkable struggle.