Hiroshima is a nonfiction work by American journalist and writer John Hersey that was first published in 1946. It describes the stories of six survivors of the August 6, 1945, atomic bombing of Hiroshima, Japan. In one of the earliest examples of the New Journalism approach, Hersey applied techniques generally associated with fiction writing to tell the survivors’ factual stories. In 1985, Hersey returned emended Hiroshima with a new final chapter called “The Aftermath” that advances the survivors’ stories past 1946.

Summary

Read the detailed chapter-by-chapter Summary & Analysis or the Full Book Summary of Hiroshima.

Characters

See a complete list of the characters in Hiroshima and in-depth analyses of Mrs. Hatsuyo Nakamura, Dr. Terufumi Sasaki, Father Wilhelm Kleinsorge, Toshiko Sasaki, Dr. Masakazu Fujii, and Reverend Mr. Kiyoshi Tanimoto.

Literary Devices

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Quotes

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Quick Quizzes

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Deeper Study

Go further in your study of Hiroshima by reading background information about John Hersey and his nonfiction book as well as mini essays on key topics.