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Liked It1 of 1 members found this review helpful “Years after the bombing of Hiroshima, Shigematsu suffers from two sicknesses. Though he can handle painful periods of radiation sickness, he cannot shake his feelings of powerlessness regarding his unmarried neice, Yasuko. Beautiful, talented and intelligent Yasuko--like so many others in...” see full review » see other reviews » |
Didn’t Like It “for IB Humanities” see full review » see other reviews » |
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“An amazing work by Ibuse. This historical fiction speaks about the consequences of the bombs on Nagasaki and Hiroshima in 1945. This story might make you cry as it really opens your eyes to the casualties of war. A sad book, but also ignites courage and perseverance in the reader. ”
Katie M wrote this review Saturday, November 3, 2012. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“for IB Humanities”
Taryn L wrote this review Saturday, February 18, 2012. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“If you wish to know intimate details of the effects of the Hiroshima bombing, this book is definitely something to pick up. A very painful read, this story describes the physical, social, mental, emotional, and spiritual aftermath of the atomic bomb. Surprisingly not an anti-American book.”
Ashley S. Harmon wrote this review Friday, November 4, 2011. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Review: Black Rain by Masuji Ibuse. This is a story created by real life information from diaries and interviews from victims of the bombing of Hiroshima. The horrid results of the aftermath is written with words free from gross-interpretation yet the author manages to reveal the magnitude of the human suffering caused by the Atom bomb.
Banjo wrote this review Saturday, August 27, 2011. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
It’s like riding a roller-coaster emotionally. It was written better then I would have expected. The author’s sensitivity to the complex bouts of illnesses that grew periodically through the years was told with some gentle humor for which he is famous for to keep some of the horror impact cushioned for the reader. There is a great story here that kept me reading because of its powerful messages. A past of drastic horror inflicted by one group of men upon another can lead to something of this nature happening again and knowing and feeling what the aftermath of this horror did and could happen to any country.
At first I didn’t like the style of Masji Ibuse written work but it grew on me. I think it was because I haven’t read many books by Japanese authors. I recommend this book on account of the story it told and because Masuji Ibuse, while creating this story, also thought of his readers …..
”“I only read this book because I was teaching it to an 11th grade IB class. I'm glad I did.
Brent Wescott wrote this review Sunday, February 13, 2011. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
Ibuse collected first-hand accounts of what happened in Hiroshima in the aftermath of the atomic bomb. He turned those true stories into this novel, using one character, Shigematsu, to tell his story of how he survived. He tells his story through other characters who tell their individual stories about how they survived. This device seems a little repetitive at first. It's just one horrific story after another, with seemingly no point other than to show the horror of the bombing.
But then you begin to recognize several other themes. One is that despite the tragedy, these people still maintain hope. Images of rebirth and natural beauty abound, showing that, as we learned from Jurassic Park, life will find a way.
One of the most interesting things I found is that the Japanese survivors don't even know what happened. They don't know what this "new kind of bomb" is that caused so much destruction. And it's not until the end of the novel that Shigematsu learns it was an atomic bomb and that the radiation is killing them. As a character, Shigematsu understands his own country's culpability in the bombing, but I'm still not so sure.”
“This is my favourite book of all time. It completely changed my paradigm about nuclear war and how horrifically terrible it is. I recommend it to every human on the world.”
Lola wrote this review Wednesday, January 19, 2011. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“This is an incredible story taken from a diary of a person who lived through the atomic bombing in Japan. This is a book to read.”
Library Worker Bee wrote this review Tuesday, December 7, 2010. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Very important book about the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and the real-life consequences. Unfortunately the middle 100 pages were just not that engaging.”
John B wrote this review Monday, April 19, 2010. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“This book! This book. Its unusual (from a European point of view) way of telling the tale, the almost reserved tone that dominates most of the novel is very striking, and only emphasises the moments where emotions take over and the main characters struggle to remain passive. I loved the diary excerpts and the detailed descriptions; the mentions of quotidian habits and places, names, dates, etc, gave the novel a certain edge.”
Mali K wrote this review Wednesday, October 21, 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Novel about the social aftermath of the Hiroshima bombing. The introduction says there is a lot of humor in this book; maybe it didn't translate well? I didn't get a drop of laughter out of this sad, sickening, but completely involving book. Excellent to re-read periodically.”
Eileen M wrote this review Thursday, May 7, 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
