Nagasaki: Life after Nuclear War

Abstract

In Nagasaki Susan Southard describes the human experience of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki in 1945 by narrating the experiences of five survivors, Taniguchi Sumiteru, Wada Kōichi, Dō-oh Mineko, Nagano Etsuko, and Yoshida Katsuji. Southard relies on a familiar format for trade books on the bombings by gradually weaving together each of their stories while providing basic historical context. Most of her narrative discusses the immediate postwar years, describing in exquisite detail survivors' trauma, wounds, illnesses, and social ostracism. The last chapters bring readers across the postwar decades to the present through discussion of their peace activism and continued suffering. Southard writes for a popular audience, but the book has value for professional scholars. While most scholars focus on Hiroshima, this work brings to English-language readers the human experience of the Nagasaki bombing. At least two of the survivors, Taniguchi and Wada, appear in other books available in English, but Southard's background in creative writing allows her to bring their traumatic experiences to life like never before. Indeed, many passages are difficult to read, but Southard's prose keeps readers moving forward. Southard's interviews with other survivors enrich the narrative. She also includes an impressive collection of rare photographs.