Sachiko: A Nagasaki Bomb Survivor's Story

A biography of Sachiko Yasui, a girl who was five and living in Nagasaki when the atomic bomb was dropped. Between chapters there are short articles about things relating to the war and nucelar prolifieration and atomic bomb. This interspersed with one girl's story is a powerful way to consider the impact of the atomic bomb both personally and on a more global scale.

Sachiko is an incredible non-fiction story of a 6 year old girl that survived the atomic bomb explosion on Nagasaki. Hearing how the bomb literally tore her family apart and how she survived while her family died either immediately, in the days shortly after the bombing, or years later due to the effects of radiation was incredible. Her strength in using Helen Keller, Gandhi, and Martin Luther King Jr. as role models shows that the human spirit can endure almost anything and go on. Sharing her story so that others can know the impacts of war and human cruelty will hopefully awaken us to the need to change and work together for peace. Great read!!

Beautifully written collaboration between Caren Stelson and Sachiko Yasui. Love the blend of short chapters, photographs, and interleaved historical context pieces. A lot of devastating content, uplifted by Sachiko's message of peace and nonviolent resistance.

Having a daughter that is part japanese as well as extended family that is from japan made this book extra special. Her great uncle was part of the 442nd infantry or the Japanese american soldiers that fought in wwii. Her great grandmother was separated into the internment camps during this time as well. The war was horrendous for everyone that lived through it, but especially for the japanese citizens. This book tells the true story of six-year-old Sachiko Yasui's survival of the Nagasaki atomic bomb, and the heartbreaking and lifelong aftermath. Having conducted extensive interviews with Sachiko Yasui, Caren Stelson chronicles Sachiko’s trauma and loss as well as her long journey to find peace. This book made me cry and thats saying show more a lot. I listened to the audio book during my workouts, and was really impressed. This is appropriate for young readers. show less

Summary: A story of Sachiko Yasui who was six years old when the atomic bomb was dropped on her hometown Nagasaki. On August 9, 1945, Sachiko went from playing house with her friends to burying them. In the bombing, she also lost her brother that day and continued to lose more family members due to radiation sickness. She was ostracized growing up because of her status as a bomb survivor, also known as hibakusha. She faced challenges, trauma, and bullying but she endured all of it. Sachiko sought out inspiration from inspirational figures such as Helen Keller, Mohandas Gandhi, and Martin Luther Kind Jr. Whom all helped Sachiko come to peace with the events that took place in her life. The author writes about Sachiko and about hearing show more her speak at the 60th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Which was the beginning of the process of countless meetings, and interviews with Sachiko to tell her story.

Personal Response: This book captures the life of Sachiko Yasui, who went through major life challenges but continued to endure, live, and overcome her struggles. This book touches close to my heart, as I am Japanese and I have been to the various museums and memorials that are caused by the atomic bomb. But this story will make you cry with sadness and smile with joy. It is a difficult book to read, but very touching and educational.

Curriculum Connections: This book can be used with higher middle school and high school Social Studies classes when learning about World War Two and the atomic bomb that was dropped in Japan, which ended the war. It can teach students the effect the bombs had on people, their families, and their whole life. It can also be used when studying non-fiction writing and the various ways that can be done including writing a biography first hand, having someone else write it or writing other non-fiction writings. show less

Didn't realize this was a juvenile bio-- I definitely wanted a lot more depth about Sachiko after reading it! But I think it was a well-done presentation of the effects of nuclear war without being overly focused on the horror.

This was a hard to read book at first, with gruesome details of what happened to a girl and her family. The event continues to affect her whole life. Despite all the loss she faces as a result from the bomb, she has the courage to stand up and speak out in hopes of stopping others from experiencing what they had to as a result of the nuclear bombs. This would be a good book to assign to a class going over the war, however some of the content may be too graphic for younger audiences so use with discretion.