1. Hiroshima by John Hersey

2. “The release of atom power has changed everything except our way of thinking... the solution to this problem lies in the heart of mankind. If only I had known, I should have become a watchmaker.”
~Albert Einstein

3. Overview Background of John Hersey Story of Hiroshima’s publication
Facts about the Atomic Bomb and the events surrounding its use
Main characters

4. *born 1914 in China to missionary parents
The author:
John Hersey
*born 1914 in China to missionary parents
*studied journalism at Yale and Cambridge
*was a WWII correspondent for Time magazine
*many of his writings center around the topic of war
*won a Pulitzer Prize
*died 1993

5. Originally appeared in The New Yorker on Aug. 31 1946 as a long article
Story was later published as a novel
Last chapter added in 1973
Reprint profits were donated to the American Red Cross
Albert Einstein purchased 1,000 copies; distributed them to anyone

6. Historical Context of “Hiroshima”
Nonfiction
Begins August 6, 1945
the day the first atomic bomb was dropped
Ends in 1985
with updates on the lives of the six survivors chronicled in the book
War ended with Japan surrendering August 15, 1945
9 days after the bombing of Hiroshima

7. Critical Reception…

8. The Reaction Hailed an instant classic
Supporters of the bomb felt Hersey put a face to the numbers
And showed the true devastation of the bomb
Some critics argue Hersey’s impartiality did not inspire enough outrage toward the ethics of nuclear weapons

9. The Reaction Cont.
Some criticize the calm, dry tone as “emotionless” or “apathetic”
Hersey defended his approach
“The flat style was deliberate A high literary manner, or a show of passion, would have brought me into the story as a mediator; I wanted to avoid such mediation, so the reader’s experience would be as direct as possible.”

10. The Survivors… interviewed by John Hersey for “Hiroshima”

11. Miss Toshiko Sasaki
A clerk for the East Asia Tin Works
Chatting with a co-worker when the bomb exploded

12. Mrs. Hatsuyo Nakamura
A tailor’s widow
Looking through her kitchen window when the bomb exploded

13. Dr. Masakazu Fujii
Dr. who owns a private hospital
Just sat down to read the paper when the bomb exploded

14. Father Wilhelm Kleinsorge
A German Jesuit Priest
Reading a magazine on a cot when the bomb exploded

15. Dr. Terufumi Sasaki
A young surgeon
Walking along a hospital corridor when the bomb exploded

16. Rev. Kiyoshi Tanimoto
Pastor of the Hiroshima Methodist Church.
Unloading a cart of clothes when the bomb exploded

17. "If they (Japan) do not now accept our terms they may expect a rain of ruin from the air, the like of which has never been seen on this earth.” ~President Harry S. Truman August 6, 1945

18. City of Hiroshima Japan’s 7th largest city Had not been bombed yet
Headquarters of Japan’s second army
Factories for war materials

20. August 6, 1945…

21. The “Enola Gay”…the plane that dropped the bomb on Hiroshima, piloted by Brig. Gen. Paul Tibbets.

23. “Little Boy” was what the military named the
bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima.

24. “Sixteen hours ago an American airplane dropped one bomb on Hiroshima and destroyed its usefulness to the enemy. That bomb had more power than 20,000 tons of T.N.T. …which is the largest bomb ever yet used in the history of warfare.” ~President Harry S. Truman in a radio address to Americans after the bomb was dropped on Hiroshima

27. Mushroom Cloud from the ground in Hiroshima

28. “As the bomb fell over Hiroshima and exploded, we saw an entire city disappear. I wrote in my log the words: ‘My God, what have we done?’”
-Capt. Robert Lewis
co-pilot of the Enola Gay

30. The Little Boy Created with U-235 The bomb dropped on Hiroshima
Dropped on Aug by the Enola Gay at 8:45 a.m.
Blast equaled 15,000 tons of TNT
Detonated about 1000 feet above the ground (hypocenter)
Hiroshima surprised because of only one B-29 plane seen that morning

31. Those not killed by the blast suffered burns and radiation poisoning
Estimated that 140,000 people died by the end of the year
Subsequent deaths from radiation poisoning brought the death toll to somewhere around 200,000

33. In the name of peace

They waged the wars

Ain't they got no shame

~Nikki Giovanni

35. “What a cruel thing is war: to separate and destroy families and friends…; to fill our hearts with hatred instead of love for our neighbors, and to devastate the fair face of this beautiful world.”
~Gen. Robert E. Lee

37. A “Hiroshima” shadow…
When the blast took place, radiation moved across in every direction, scorching everything in its path.
Anything that was behind, or
covered, by an object, was
left unscortched…
the “shadow" effect
-it is similar to when you
get a sunburn, but there
are places not burned
--like a tan line.
This picture is an example of
a “Hiroshima Shadow”. The man that was standing by his ladder disintegrated instantly after the blast.

39. “Mankind must put an end to war, or war will put an end to mankind.”
~John F. Kennedy, 1961