The events on and after the first atomic bombing from the perspective of six survivors whose paths cross. Very old, but make no mistake, it's still very readable. Recommended!
What I found weird from my millennial eyes is that concerns about radiation only appear three fourths in in this rather long read. This contrasts strongly to Chernobyl, the popular TV series, where the drama of the radiation is ever present.
And yet it makes sense. Nuclear reactors are not designed to be bombs, I hope quite the contrary. I didn't know of the massive raw blast power and heat that this bomb unleashed. Its immediate aftermath was among the most gruesome scenes in the history of mankind, irrespective of radiation. That becomes crystal clear through this article.
Thanks to Readup for helping me pick this article up again and again during the past 4 days!
This is a truly amazing article. The courage and fortitude of the survivors is beyond anything I can imagine. As was the dignity of the dying. What amazing gifts from Readup and ones who post such incredible true stories. I couldn’t stop till I had read it all!
Indeed! It’s amazing how humans cling to life in such an inferno and how they help each other to the absolute best of their abilities (thinking about the doctor who got woken from this exhausted sleep and worked on). It also made wonder at the strength of the Japanese cultural attitude at that time. I suppose some of that still exists.
Burns are excruciating and yet no one was screaming. There was a sense of honor and dignity as in the kamakaze pilots. The radiation issue had to be vastly different than in Chernobyl but I thought I’d read elsewhere that it affected generations with birth defects and fertility issues. That’s a long read that was worth every second!
Grateful for Deep Readings like this one. The image I will never shake (I should have copied it) is the mention of Dr. Fujii (I think!?!) lodged between two logs like a piece of meat held together by chopsticks in a V formation.
Also, reads like this one Really Highlight the Importance of Community in Times of Crisis. The humanitarian moments of neighbors helping neighbors in the face of a foreign violence they didn’t understand whilst happening is Super Sobering. Like the one character reminding himself “these are human beings” as he aids individuals with grotesque skin coming off.
The events on and after the first atomic bombing from the perspective of six survivors whose paths cross. Very old, but make no mistake, it's still very readable. Recommended!
What I found weird from my millennial eyes is that concerns about radiation only appear three fourths in in this rather long read. This contrasts strongly to Chernobyl, the popular TV series, where the drama of the radiation is ever present.
And yet it makes sense. Nuclear reactors are not designed to be bombs, I hope quite the contrary. I didn't know of the massive raw blast power and heat that this bomb unleashed. Its immediate aftermath was among the most gruesome scenes in the history of mankind, irrespective of radiation. That becomes crystal clear through this article.
Thanks to Readup for helping me pick this article up again and again during the past 4 days!
This is a truly amazing article. The courage and fortitude of the survivors is beyond anything I can imagine. As was the dignity of the dying. What amazing gifts from Readup and ones who post such incredible true stories. I couldn’t stop till I had read it all!
Indeed! It’s amazing how humans cling to life in such an inferno and how they help each other to the absolute best of their abilities (thinking about the doctor who got woken from this exhausted sleep and worked on). It also made wonder at the strength of the Japanese cultural attitude at that time. I suppose some of that still exists.
Burns are excruciating and yet no one was screaming. There was a sense of honor and dignity as in the kamakaze pilots. The radiation issue had to be vastly different than in Chernobyl but I thought I’d read elsewhere that it affected generations with birth defects and fertility issues. That’s a long read that was worth every second!
Grateful for Deep Readings like this one. The image I will never shake (I should have copied it) is the mention of Dr. Fujii (I think!?!) lodged between two logs like a piece of meat held together by chopsticks in a V formation.
Also, reads like this one Really Highlight the Importance of Community in Times of Crisis. The humanitarian moments of neighbors helping neighbors in the face of a foreign violence they didn’t understand whilst happening is Super Sobering. Like the one character reminding himself “these are human beings” as he aids individuals with grotesque skin coming off.
I Greatly Appreciate these reminders.
I am up way past my bedtime. Night, Readers