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John Hersey (1) (1914–1993)

Author of Hiroshima

For other authors named John Hersey, see the disambiguation page.

57+ Works 11,087 Members 192 Reviews 9 Favorited

About the Author

Image credit: from Wikipedia Photo by Carl Van Vechten - 1958 (Library of Congress)

Works by John Hersey

Hiroshima (1989) 3,274 copies
Hiroshima (Expanded edition) (1946) 1,960 copies
A Bell for Adano (1944) 1,111 copies
The Wall (1946) 691 copies
Hiroshima (1985) 674 copies
A Single Pebble (1956) 319 copies
The Child Buyer (1960) 293 copies
White Lotus (1965) 233 copies
The Call (1985) 196 copies
The Conspiracy (1972) 174 copies
Blues (1987) 170 copies
The War Lover: A Novel (1959) — Author — 167 copies
The Algiers Motel Incident (1968) 164 copies
Too Far to Walk (1966) 162 copies
Antonietta (1991) 135 copies
Under the Eye of the Storm (1967) 128 copies
Key West Tales: Stories (1993) 107 copies
My Petition for More Space (1974) 104 copies
Hiroshima (1972) 86 copies
Of Men and War (1963) 81 copies
Hiroshima (Armas Y Letras) (1989) 69 copies
Here to stay (1962) 64 copies
Life Sketches (1989) 58 copies
Fling And Other Stories (1990) 46 copies
The Walnut Door (1900) 45 copies
The Marmot Drive (1953) 39 copies
Great Modern Short Novels (1966) — Contributor — 39 copies
Letter to the Alumni (1970) 29 copies
The Writer's Craft (1974) 19 copies
The President (1975) 17 copies
Men on Bataan (1942) 10 copies
Hiroshima 7 copies
South of Cancer (1951) 3 copies
La Muraille, tome 2 (1979) 2 copies
Robert Capa 1 copy

Associated Works

Main Street / Babbitt (1992) — Editor — 439 copies
The 40s: The Story of a Decade (2014) — Contributor — 275 copies
Manzanar (1988) — Commentary — 157 copies
The Mammoth Book of True War Stories (1992) — Contributor — 87 copies
Combat: Pacific Theater (1959) — Author, some editions — 83 copies
Reader's Digest Condensed Books 1956 v03 (1956) — Contributor — 35 copies

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Common Knowledge

Members

Reviews

So interesting to read this after seeing Oppenheimer at the movie theater this year. Two bookends. I was sort of amazed at how people got going again after the explosion. Human resilience is amazing.
 
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spounds | 36 other reviews | Jan 8, 2024 |
John Hersey was an American journalist and was one of the first writers allowed into Hiroshima, right after the bombing. First published in 1946, this short, powerful account centers on 6 of the survivors. In their own words they describe the day of the bombing and the horrifying aftermath. It is painful to read at times but their own resilience shines through. Forty years later, Hersey returned to Hiroshima and updated their stories. I am so glad I stumbled on this classic book and it made a terrific audio experience too, narrated by the masterful George Guidall.… (more)
½
 
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msf59 | 49 other reviews | Nov 17, 2023 |
A seminal change in reporting style, the zoomed in view of a handful of people to represent the tragedies of the bombing has a very gripping narrative of the events and aftermath, but becomes increasingly diffuse as it continues to follow their lives long after the events of the bombing. It completes the stories of their lives and the rebuilding efforts, but at the same time dilutes the catastrophe of the bombing itself. Is it more honest to continue the story as life just goes on? Would it have been just gratuitous to linger? Certainly the report itself seems to conclude most people did not reflect deeply on the whys, and either dealt with the trauma and medical aftermath - or not.… (more)
 
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A.Godhelm | 36 other reviews | Oct 20, 2023 |
Hiroshima follows the lives of six Hiroshima bombing survivors from the moments before the blast on August 6th, 1945 at 8:15 a.m. to the aftermath of the following year: Miss Toshiko Sasaki, Dr. Masakazu Fujii, Mrs. Hatsyo Nakamura, Dr. Terufumi Sasaki (no relation to Miss Toshiko), Father Wilhelm Kleinsorge, and Reverend Mr. Kiyoshi Tanimoto.
 
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PendleHillLibrary | 36 other reviews | Sep 14, 2023 |

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Statistics

Works
57
Also by
15
Members
11,087
Popularity
#2,127
Rating
4.0
Reviews
192
ISBNs
268
Languages
16
Favorited
9

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