Analysis of HIROSHIMA: A NOVELLA by Laurence Yep-class requirement

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Yep, Laurence. 1995. HIROSHIMA: A NOVELLA. New York : Scholastic. ISBN:0-590-20832-2 .

PLOT SUMMARY

The description of the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan is detailed in this book. The story also discusses the women called the Hiroshima Maidens.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

In this moving account of the events on the fateful morning of August 6, 1945, the reader is introduced to Riko and Sachi. These two sisters lead the reader through a day in their life as students under constant caution awaiting an attack by the Americans. The reader also glimpses into the thoughts of the pilots that will soon be over Hiroshima. The simplicity of the daily account and the description of the beauty of Hirosima makes the undeniable tragedy all the more stirring. The sequencing of this novella, from the introduction of that day to the attack and aftermath, provides an overview of this historical moment of destruction. After the blinding light, the story introduces the Hiroshima Maidens. Their struggles and the powerful message that history must not repeat itself compels readers to learn more about this sad time in world history. Laurence Yep provides an informational afterword regarding his research experience in developing this story, as well as a list of information sources.

REVIEW EXCERPTS/AWARDS

Review, Booklist- "In quiet, simple prose, Yep tells what happens when the atomic bomb is dropped on Hiroshima in 1945. He tells it in short chapters in the present tense, switching from crewmen on the Enola Gay to children in a Hiroshima classroom; then he describes the attack, the mushroom cloud, and the destruction of the city; finally, he talks about the aftermath, immediate and long term, including the arms race and the movement for peace. One chapter explains the physics of the explosion and of radiation. The facts are so dramatic and told with such controlled intensity that we barely need the spare fictionalization about a young Hiroshima child who is there when the bomb falls and who later comes to the U.S. for treatment (Yep says in an afterword that she's a composite of several children). The account is fair, nonhectoring, and totally devastating. Though accessible to middle-grade readers, this will also interest older readers, who will find nothing condescending in content or format. Fifty years later, the event is still the focus of furious controversy (even the numbers are in dispute), and this novella will start classroom discussion across the curriculum. There's a bibliography for further reading." Hazel Rochman

CONNECTIONS

This book would be a good way to discuss of perspective or point of view in literature. The book also served as a strong resource in building background information for further study of the events leading up to 1945. This book would also be a connecting learning companing for THE GREEN GLASS SEA story related to the development of the atomic bomb.