Reviews tagging 'Injury/Injury detail'

Ghosts of the Tsunami: Death and Life in Japan’s Disaster Zone by Richard Lloyd Parry

5 reviews

sweetearlgrey's review against another edition

4.5

This was as horrifying as it was incredible. A powerful retelling of one of the most devastating natural disasters in recent decades, coupled with personal accounts from survivors. Some scenes are truly disturbing — please take care to read the content warnings.

The insight into the political climate surrounding the tsunami, the pitfalls of Japanese authorities, and the society’s response was particularly interesting. What is most terrifying, though, is that despite the country’s preparedness, lives will still be lost in future disasters. This made me consider what it’s like to live under the constant threat of natural disaster, with the possibility of losing loved ones, a home you spent a lifetime making your own, or even your own life. It reminded me to be grateful for what I have. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Medical content, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Gore

fanchera's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense slow-paced

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Mental illness and Suicide

Minor: Animal death and Infertility

tourthebookshelf's review

dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

The contents discuss the 2011 tsunami and specifically the deaths of a large number of children and the effect it had on the local area. It discusses the discovery of multiple bodies throughout but it is not gratuitous imho

jhbandcats's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

5.0

This is probably the most difficult book I've read in recent memory. Its focus is the preventable deaths of dozens of middle school children in the tsunami that followed Japan's huge earthquake on March 11, 2011. Through human error, negligence, and general ineptitude and confusion, seventy-four children were led to a "safe" evacuation spot that was in the direct line of the tsunami. They all had time to seek sanctuary on the nearby low hills behind the school, but none of the children assembled in the schoolyard that afternoon survived. The ones who did were picked up by their parents and driven away to higher ground. Of all the schools in the disaster zone, this was the only one where children died in the tsunami.

This book is based on several years' worth of interviews with survivors, the family and friends of the dead, priests ministering to the irreparably shocked and broken-hearted, and municipal workers. The author puts their anguish on the printed page in a way that's unforgettable. Their stories are so painful that I contemplated quitting the book several times - it was just too hard to read. That said, the book is a well-written, sympathetic analysis of Japanese society and the response to a tragedy that didn't have to happen.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Infertility, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

godtiermeme's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

This is a well-written book that weaves a variety of narratives into a singular tapestry. The central story is challenging, but it's also fascinating. Parry's writing is informal enough to be engaging but professional enough to provide facts.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Child death and Death of parent