Lesley M. M. Blume

TRIGGER WARNING: Graphic descriptions of the immediate and ongoing effects of atom bombs, including the death of children.

Rating: 8/10

*****

Fallout tells the story of Pulitzer Prize winner John Hersey’s quest to bring the effects of Atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, to the attention of the American public, despite systematic efforts by MacArthur’s military and the Truman government to conceal the true impact of the bombs on the Japanese people.

I was never a very good student in high show more school, and I was unaware that there had even been a coverup until I read this book. Not that I’m surprised. Governments thrive on secrets, and they had just come out of a lengthy and costly war.

The book is written chronologically and is easy to follow, with a photo insert allowing us to put faces to the names Blume writes about. At no point did feel lost or confused about the timeline. The author is articulate and engaging, and had me experiencing a range of emotions, from horror, to terror, to disgust, to despair, to pity, to melancholy, to sheer rage. Readers should be aware that Blume doesn’t shy away from providing detailed descriptions of the effects and aftermath of atomic bombs, and some of the actions and remarks relayed may be distressing.

The subject matter was new to me beyond the basic general knowledge. I am left with impression that we all owe a debt of gratitude to John Hersey, William Shawn, and Harold Ross, for exposing the peril of these bombs to the public, and the safety such knowledge has brought us. As this book makes clear, the Truman government felt no remorse or regrets over the use of these bombs, and, without this knowledge, and the horror it evokes, becoming widespread, the world’s leaders would have felt no hesitation in using these weapons again.

*****

Words I had to look up

Striver: Someone who works as hard as a slave.

Sybarite: A self-indulgent person with a fondness for luxury. show less

I found this book absolutely fascinating. I had read Hiroshima as a young adult, and it made an indelible impression. I remained ignorant of the coverup, however, until I read Hiroshima Diary by Dr. Michihiko Hachiya. He talks about the US government censorship in terms of the limitations placed on doctors and the possibility that more lives could have been saved, had doctors been able to openly share information. It took Blume's book for me to understand the extent of the coverup, the show more methods and motivations of key actors, and how Hersey researched and wrote the New Yorker article that blew the story open. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in WWII, Japan, or journalism. I would encourage readers to pick up Hiroshima first, although it's not necessary in order to read Fallout, I do think it's important reading for everyone living in the nuclear age. show less

Rating: 5* of five

***I received this book in a Goodreads giveaway; the publisher made no request that I write a review***

The Publisher Says: Too often, when struggling to find just the right turn of phrase, exclamation of joy, or witty barb, it's easy to forget that history is positively brimming with rich words deserving of rejuvenation. Lesley M. M. Blume gathers forgotten words, phrases, names, insults, and idioms, plus fascinating and funny anecdotes, etymologies, and occasions for use. show more Let's Bring Back: The Lost Language Edition takes readers on a philological journey through words from the not-too-distant past. From all-overish to zounds, the vintage vernacular collected here will make any reader the cat's meow among friends, relations, and acquaintances.

My Review: I've mentioned earlier that I am a fan of browser-books. I think most people who've read a few of my reviews will sense that I'm a wordnik. I collect and treasure weird and wonderful words, and colorful turns of phrase, and I enjoy using them all.

Along comes this beautiful, beautiful package of browsing delights, many new to me (which is quite an achievement since I have so many of this kind of book) and many old friends, presented in the best possible way to please my aesthetic.

The case is printed in three colors, purple, green, and black; it is beautifully composed, with a very William-Morris-wallpaper overall design, a blind-stamped decorative double cartouche, and type!, and charmingly Victorian illustration of a typewriter.

The requisite bar code and sales bunf is printed on a band slipped around the back board. The endsheets are printed in the case's green color, at its most intense saturation used in the book; the front endsheet has a printed "ex libris" that made me chuckle: "Darling, Please...don't forget to bring back this book."

The text is printed in two colors, with multiple small and fine design elements in screens of the black and orange used. There is not one register problem that I could find, and I looked. It's a seamless and charming presentation that enhances the exuberantly recherché compendium of these glorious nuggets of expression.

So the publisher is sending a signal by making these choices, that the contents of the book so charmingly and carefully designed are to be valued and given attention to; the presentation isn't merely informative, though it is that, it's also visually arresting and enhances the message being delivered. Things material need not be uniformly, grimly, boringly samey-samey. Make your choice for the colorful, and it will be rewarded.

The words and phrases themselves? How about "kicksy-wicksy" (agreeably drunk), "chickabiddy" (young girl), "rinky-dink" (shabby or insignificant)? It's a small sampling, but it shows you what the author is about. She wants Norma Loquendi to take back the colorful and the powerful and the expressive from the gray, grim grip of PC and dumbed-down dimness of Bureaucratical Babble.

There are two other volumes in this series of wonderful compendia: Let's Bring Back (calling cards! cuckoo clocks!) and Let's Bring Back: The Cocktail Edition (the Angel's Tit will henceforth be my go-to order in bars). Clearly Blume and I are soul siblings. She says out loud, to a large (I hope) bookbuying audience, what I grouse about in my red leather wingback over scotch and sodas. Bless you, good Madam. I am your devoted acquaintance, aspiring to friendhood.

This review first appeared at Expendable Mudge Muses Aloud.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. show less

I suppose it is not a coincidence that the publication of this new book coincides with the 75th anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing in August 1945.

In 1946 John Hersey visited Hiroshima and his subsequent story published in The New Yorker magazine and soon after as a book awakened the American public to what that big bomb really did.

This just published book reveals the story behind the story and if you ever had thoughts that big government cover-ups were a new thing, well, they are not. The show more author does a good job of describing the background against which Hersey and other journalists worked. Very interesting stuff.

There was a discussion of an Army Air Corps photographer who had been sent to Japan after the war film the effects of bombing on twenty Japanese cities. Hersey was told Hiroshima film footage was sent to Washington and would be classified for decades. I did a quick google and found one of the films:
http://www.openculture.com/2011/05/way_of_life_rare_footage_of_the_hiroshima_aft....

There is a rather chilling story about the film and filmakers here: https://whowhatwhy.org/2015/08/08/hiroshima-secrets-part-3-death-and-suffering-i....

What this new book does is put Hersey's 'Hiroshima' in a different light for me. It made me realize that Hersey saved the world from a future nuclear war by revealing the truth about Hiroshima when he did in 1946.

Recommended. show less