Hiroshima book review

Hiroshima Book Review
Name
Institution

Hearing about something and having a direct encounter with it are two distinct scenarios that have different implications on one’s reaction, attitudes, and perceptions about something based on my experience after reading Hiroshima by John Hersey. I have heard about this Hiroshima bombing often, but it is not until I read the gritty details of the bombing events that I came into direct contact with the agony and suffrage of the Japanese. The Hiroshima bombing is a unique example of the adverse effects of war from which the rest of the world should learn. It is not clear whether it was out of sheer ignorance or the egoistic feeling of hegemony that made the United States act so indifferent immediately after the bombing. As if to rub salt into injury, the United States, which was responsible for spreading propaganda and mobilizing resources to conduct investigations into the effects of the bomb, merely to determine the magnitude of the bomb.
The ability to cause such disastrous effects might be the reason that America has been acknowledged a super-power and a fathomable force that is not to be opposed or challenged. I see the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings as a disregard for humankind because there is no justifiable reason for such a heinous act by the U.S. One begs the question whether the young innocent and potential Japanese children that lost their lives deserved such maltreatment. Even though it was a period of war and attack, such a violent attack with far-reaching detrimental effects was not warranted.

Despite the fact that each country: U.S. and Japan, strived to showcase its superiority, it was at the expense of the innocent people, young children who were not aware of what was happening.
The bombing was a well-calculated move by the U.S. government, the ultimate weapon that was meant to paralyze Japan for good as Hersey implies, “…since it sounded every morning at this time…” (1985, p. 2). Previous bombings did not have such deleterious effects. All these occurred at the expense of ordinary citizens and innocent children who had nowhere else to run. However, the United States was not aware of the effects of this bomb because it was detonated in Japan for the first time; hence, Japan was used as a guinea pig. A move that is not in alignment with stipulated humane, ethical values.
The U.S. had targeted a military base, which was deemed a haven, a notion that was proved wrong with the Hiroshima bombing. After the military base had been shattered to ruins, it was difficult for the government to help its people as seen from the struggles encountered by those with minor wounds to help those with more severe and fatal wounds (Hersey, 1985, p. 22-30). Individuals sought succor from the shambles of the buildings, and as the only doctor unhurt with the misconception that only the building he was in had been hit by the bomb tried to help the wounded “… maimed and dying citizens turned their unsteady steps toward the Red Cross Hospital,” which had been shattered (Hersey, 1985, p. 8). The bombing was a means by the U.S. to subjugate the Japanese to the American wimps based on the surrender negotiations that helped to settle unrest within the country. As if the bombing was not enough, the American went on to disseminate propaganda that aggravated the intensity of the situation.
Whether focusing on the experiences of those who survived is meant to make a different or not is debatable because people are different. Nonetheless, by indicating the change in the lives of those affected through a critical lens of the events before and after the attack, even the hardest of hearts would melt and hope that such an occurrence never happens again. Focusing on those that developed the bomb and the army races purposed to release and carry out investigations about the bomb would escalate the hatred among the Japanese and search for vengeance because it was an unprecedented kind of humiliation. Hersey (1985, p. 36-40) explains the disastrous effects of the bomb that left a mark that still smolders in present-day Japan as mysterious diseases and a change of the climate took became an evident and disturbing phenomenon.
Even though the Hiroshima bombing changed the lives of the survivors to the extent that they could not be restored, the patriotism they portrayed for their country was admirable. Despite her horrible condition given what Japan had just gone through, Mrs. Nakamura hoped that Japan would win the war. In another scenario, Mr. Tanimoto (Hersey, 1985, p. 46), in his letter to an American noted that “they died in silence, with no grudge, setting their teeth to bear it. All for the country!” Unlike the many incidences that are usually linked to war, the occurrences in Japan show the need for survival and an increased concern for humanity as the Emperor made direct contact with his people (Hersey, 1985). I felt humbled by the attitude of the Japanese, and I have utmost respect for them because they faced all the suffering with love and courage without pointing fingers.
Given the events that unfolded during and after the Hiroshima bombing, I feel that the invention of nuclear weapons should be abolished because they have the potential to wipe out the entire human race. It is apparent that the world does not have a protective shield to avoid the detrimental effects of detonation of nuclear bombs. Hence, for the sake of humanity and regard for the various campaigns made to promote peace, love, and harmony, a similar incidence of Hiroshima should never happen again.

Reference
Hersey, J. (1985). Hiroshima. New York, NY: A. Knopf, Inc.