Overview

The late Dr. Michihiko Hachiya was director of the Hiroshima Communications Hospital when the world's first atomic bomb was dropped on the city. Though his responsibilities in the appalling chaos of a devastated city were awesome, he found time to record the story daily, with compassion and tenderness. Dr. Hachiya's compelling diary was originally published by the UNC Press in 1955, with the help of Dr. Warner Wells of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, who was a surgical consultant to the Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission and who became a friend of Dr. Hachiya. In a new foreword, John Dower reflects on the enduring importance of the diary fifty years after the bombing.

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Reviews

"An extraordinary literary event.-- ""The New York Times"" ""A book that we all ought to read in order that we may know what we have done and what will happen in the future if the atomic weapons continue to be used."" -- ""Pearl Buck, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Good Earth"" ""Although Hiroshima Diary is necessarily full of horrors, it is not a depressing book. Frightening, certainly, but the courage, patience, unselfishness, and resourcefulness it records would make the grimmest misanthrope proud of the human race."" -- ""Atlantic Monthly"" ""An extraordinary literary event."" -- ""New York Times"" ""Comes closer to telling the real story than anything I have seen outside Japan."" -- ""Norman Cousins, New York Times bestselling author of Head First"" ""One of the most extraordinary records of human calamity and courage in the history of letters."" -- ""Newsweek"" ""With the necessary gravitas, Robertson Dean recounts Hachiya's work during one of the greatest, and most fearsome, moments in human history. Dean's measured tone is full of raw emotion as he describes the strenuous first months following the atomic bomb drop on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, which effectively ended WWII. Dean's able narration expresses both the disappointment of defeat and the misplaced excitement of a retaliation that was rumored but never happened against the US. Listeners may find themselves anticipating each day's journal entry in the hope of finding healing and comfort from the suffering experienced by the bomb's survivors. Dean makes clear the author's theme of the common bond among all humanity."" -- ""AudioFile"""

An extraordinary literary event.-- The New York Times A book that we all ought to read in order that we may know what we have done and what will happen in the future if the atomic weapons continue to be used. -- Pearl Buck, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Good Earth Although Hiroshima Diary is necessarily full of horrors, it is not a depressing book. Frightening, certainly, but the courage, patience, unselfishness, and resourcefulness it records would make the grimmest misanthrope proud of the human race. -- Atlantic Monthly An extraordinary literary event. -- New York Times Comes closer to telling the real story than anything I have seen outside Japan. -- Norman Cousins, New York Times bestselling author of Head First One of the most extraordinary records of human calamity and courage in the history of letters. -- Newsweek With the necessary gravitas, Robertson Dean recounts Hachiya's work during one of the greatest, and most fearsome, moments in human history. Dean's measured tone is full of raw emotion as he describes the strenuous first months following the atomic bomb drop on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, which effectively ended WWII. Dean's able narration expresses both the disappointment of defeat and the misplaced excitement of a retaliation that was rumored but never happened against the US. Listeners may find themselves anticipating each day's journal entry in the hope of finding healing and comfort from the suffering experienced by the bomb's survivors. Dean makes clear the author's theme of the common bond among all humanity. -- AudioFile

Author Information

Michihiko Hachiya was a Japanese physician who survived the bombing of Hiroshima in 1945. He was director of the Hiroshima Communications Hospital and lived near the hospital, about a mile from the explosion's center. John W. Dower is an author, professor, and historian. His book Embracing Defeat won the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award, the Bancroft, and the Yamagata Banto Prize. In 2004, he was awarded the Mellon Distinguished Achievement Award, in recognition of his decisive and influential contribution to the study of history. Robertson Dean has played leading roles on and off Broadway and at dozens of regional theaters throughout the country. He has a BA from Tufts University and an MFA from Yale. His audiobook narration has garnered ten AudioFile Earphones Awards. He now lives in Los Angeles, where he works in film and television in addition to narrating.

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