haleybre's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
5.0
This is a hard story to tell but so important to hear
Content Warnings
Graphic: Police brutality, Pregnancy, Child death, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Alcohol, Body horror, Death, Death of parent, Hate crime, Alcoholism, Animal death, Blood, Grief, Suicide, Child abuse, Colonisation, Physical abuse, Racism, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and War
bartlebies's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
4.5
fluoresensitive's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
mat_tobin's review against another edition
5.0
Extraordinary graphic novel autobiography of the author's experiences during the bombing of his home town in Hiroshima. As 'Gen' grows up with his mother, father and siblings, he finds himself outcast and segregated because of his father's brave refusal to not fight in the war and not be blinded by the politics of the wealthy Japanese elite who are controlling the masses.
Isolated to the point of near-starvation, Gen and his family struggle to survive in extreme poverty and struggle desperately to maintain a sense of unity and love as a family. These are brutal and confusing times in which raising a child is far different to what we would see today. Gen and his siblings are regularly smacked and beaten by both parents as well as neighbours and teachers: life as a child is unimaginably hard but it's a story that I am so glad to have read.
Then the bombs drops...
Gen is honest and painful but it is also truth unfettered and told from a perspective that we all need to hear. There are others in series and I will be reading them. Definitely Young Adult+
Isolated to the point of near-starvation, Gen and his family struggle to survive in extreme poverty and struggle desperately to maintain a sense of unity and love as a family. These are brutal and confusing times in which raising a child is far different to what we would see today. Gen and his siblings are regularly smacked and beaten by both parents as well as neighbours and teachers: life as a child is unimaginably hard but it's a story that I am so glad to have read.
Then the bombs drops...
Gen is honest and painful but it is also truth unfettered and told from a perspective that we all need to hear. There are others in series and I will be reading them. Definitely Young Adult+
hananhn's review against another edition
5.0
بصور معبرة و حوارات بسيطة، تكمن الكتاب من إلقاء بقعة ضوء صغيرة لهذه الجريمة الفظيعة
barkylee15's review against another edition
3.0
3.5. I wanted to love this graphic novel, and the parts about the war and Japanese army/kamikaze pilots, and of course the dropping of the A-bomb were very well done. But, the juvenile way in which nearly every man/boy acts and reacts by "bonking" people or fighting - just the amount of violence was astounding and unnecessary to include. I'm all about seeing the daily lives of those who lived in Hiroshima in the months leading up to the atomic bomb being dropped, but every page including someone getting beaten up or someone "wahhh-ing" was exhausting and all meant to be for humor, but I didn't find it funny at all. I am interested to continue though, especially as to see how Gen and what is left of his family survives after the blast.
Overall, my rating is complicated and therefore a recommendation of reading this is complicated as well. So maybe read it? Maybe dont...I don't know. If you are looking for a great book on the topic though, read "Hiroshima" by John Hersey (having problems linking it on Goodreads).
Men and leaders and the power they wield over the people they are supposed to take care of sickens me. I wasn't aware of how much propaganda and lies there were in the Japanese Empire either. Also the idea of suicide bombers in any war, about it being "for the empire" or "for God" makes me very angry and makes me very worried for humanity sometimes. Ok, off my soapbox. I will leave you with one quote from Gen's older brother Koji who is off at pilot school:
"Why can't everyone think? Use their heads for once? Are they going to be duped by this hoax of a war forever? If the Japanese people don't all start sticking up for themselves, the war will never end. Damn! How long will it go on, anyway -- this horrible war? The time's got to come when we can all live freely, like human beings..."
Overall, my rating is complicated and therefore a recommendation of reading this is complicated as well. So maybe read it? Maybe dont...I don't know. If you are looking for a great book on the topic though, read "Hiroshima" by John Hersey (having problems linking it on Goodreads).
Men and leaders and the power they wield over the people they are supposed to take care of sickens me. I wasn't aware of how much propaganda and lies there were in the Japanese Empire either. Also the idea of suicide bombers in any war, about it being "for the empire" or "for God" makes me very angry and makes me very worried for humanity sometimes. Ok, off my soapbox. I will leave you with one quote from Gen's older brother Koji who is off at pilot school:
"Why can't everyone think? Use their heads for once? Are they going to be duped by this hoax of a war forever? If the Japanese people don't all start sticking up for themselves, the war will never end. Damn! How long will it go on, anyway -- this horrible war? The time's got to come when we can all live freely, like human beings..."
olddatainadeadmachine's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
5.0
we do not deserve forgiveness