Fallout: The Hiroshima Cover-up and the Reporter Who Revealed It to the World Hardcover – August 4, 2020

This is an enthralling and important story. I long ago had read John Hersey's Hiroshima, in book form, and it has stayed with me ever since. So this work is a fascinating addition to history: the backstory of how Hersey's Hiroshima came to be.The book tells how the founder of the New Yorker, Harold Ross, and his assistant editor, William Shawn, decided to send Hersey to Japan to learn from victims first hand about the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, and how they then decided to publish the entire resulting piece in an edition that contained no other content. In so doing, their vision and courageous creative choices transformed the New Yorker from a primarily humor magazine into a vital source for contemporary commentary, and they, along with Hersey, changed journalism and non-fiction writing in the process too.The book reports how hands-on Ross and Shawn were as editors; no word, phrase or detail was too small to escape their scrutiny, and they always wielded their red pencils heavily. The book also explains that Hersey modelled his format for Hiroshima (which tells the history of the bombing and its aftermath through the eyes and experiences of six people who survived) on Thornton Wilder's novel, The Bridge of San Luis Rey. Through the use of the first person narrative, Hersey and the New Yorker transformed the writing of history, and set the stage for subsequent authors like Studs Terkel and Nobel Laureate Svetlana Alexandrovna, whose wonderful works also present history through the voices of those who lived it.

This book was really interesting - hooked me into reading the report referenced in this story. Bought a second as a gift. I was looking for a book that didn’t put Truman on a high mantle and though this wasn’t it, this was worth the read.

Having just finished Hershey’s “Hiroshima,” Blume did a good job of providing the interesting backstory to the book. However, the 1 and 2 star reviews are correct in accusing the author of an obvious bias. If you’re not familiar with the fragility of the Japanese government in summer 1945, the fanaticism of leading elements of the Japanese army, and a more realistic overview of the likely results of an American invasion of the home islands, do yourself a favor. Sit down with something more objective, like Ian Toll’s “Twilight of the Gods: War in the Western Pacific, 1944-1945” and draw your own conclusions.

Fallout is a multi-faceted account of the writing of Hiroshima by John Hersey, its publication in The New Yorker, the cover up and naïveté of the US government relative to radioactivity, and much, much more. Blume’s writing is journalistic, on point and weaves numerous scenarios into a tight mosaic of personalities integral to the making, deployment and aftermath of the atomic bomb. Most notable, Blume tells the individual stories of the six Hiroshima survivors, John Hersey’s interview dynamic, the “behind close doors” editing of Hiroshima and it publication in full in The New Yorker. Additionally, Blume’s narrative encompasses the military, journalistic, cultural, human tragedies and triumphs of the times, while allowing one to reflect on that time past as it relates to our present and future world not only from a nuclear standpoint but also from a journalistic and cultural standpoint.It’s all about being honestly and truthfully informed through an unbiased media, and trustworthy leaders in government which Blume intimates in a subtle manner, and what happens when transparency becomes translucent and hazy and when deception, misinformation and sleight of hand rules prevents an event from being reported accurately.

When I was a teen looking for things to watch online I came across an animated movie called Barefoot Gen, about the aftermath of the nuclear bombings in Japan. Ever since then I've been an avid supporter of nuclear disarmament. When I heard the interview with the author playing on the radio one day I knew I had to read her book.Fallout is a wonderful history of reporting and the struggles of reporters wishing to preserve the right of free press. Reading it is a good reminder of what can happen when press is censored and reporters are not allowed to report the facts. To be honest, I don't know why some other reviewers are so upset and think that the book is "America blaming." The book is honestly a wonderful history and a wonderful reminder of what can happen when nuclear weapons are used, what can happen when press is censored, and the amazing work of one journalist to overcome that censorship when he knew what his government (and other governments of the world) were wrong. Totally a must read for anyone interested in history or nuclear disarmament efforts.

日本語版の翻訳や特集番組や映画が作られるといいなと思います。