John Hersey's Hiroshima presents the events leading up to the dropping of the atomic bomb, the actual event, the aftermath, and the affects the introduction of nuclear warfare has had on the world. Hersey uses the individual accounts of six different people, and their individual experiences from the introduction of nuclear warfare and the affects it had on each of their lives.
Hersey presents these events with brilliance. He truly captures each individual account and portrays it with undoubted realism. Hersey fails to really interject his own feelings or opinions on the dropping of the atomic bomb, but instead focuses on making the reader feel as if they were really there during these occurrences by way of his vivid description of these tragic events. Overall, Hersey does an excellent job at making these events real to the reader who did not experience them. He uses a completely unbiased opinion of the tragedy, and he lets his vivid description of the events of Hiroshima form the readers opinion.
Hersey's account of Hiroshima is extremely interesting and entices the conscience. As an American, I have read about World War II and the events which took place; however, I have never really thought about what it would have been like to experience these events first hand. Hersey does an excellent job at involving you in each of the characters lives and situations, and I really felt at times that I was truly relating to these peoples" suffering.
I would recommend Hersey's Hiroshima to anyone who has the desire to relate and sympathize with the tragedy and suffering these innocent civilians of Hiroshima experienced. As Americans today, we need to question the use of nuclear weapons and realize the permanent affects they have on our society and our world. .
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