A review by maketeaa
Hiroshima Nagasaki: The Real Story of the Atomic Bombings and Their Aftermath by Paul Ham

challenging dark slow-paced

4.75

reads like a dystopian horror. the alternating point of views, the immersive descriptions, the contrast of political meetings in polished buildings to the utter desecration of two cities is like a punch in the gut. paul ham masterfully organises a detailed, analytical recount of the atom bombings of hiroshima and nagasaki in a way that picks apart all the wool drawn over the world's eyes and makes the cataclysms for what they truly were -- the senseless killings of hundreds and thousands of people. he leaves no question about it: the atom bomb was not necessary for the end of the war. and most importantly: the people of hiroshima and nagasaki were failed, time and time again. a harrowing story of racial hatred, western propaganda, and the military excuses made for purely political moves, which ends with the conclusion that holding onto nucleur weapons is simply a waiting game of when a repeat of this will happen.

also, wasn't sure how to add this into the main body of the review: what really got me was the moral reasoning the west tried to use. 'we must be the only ones with access to nucleur bombs because we are determined to keep the peace' *nukes two entire cities for no fucking reason*. great example of how america is one huge gaslighting monolith