Journal 8 Christina Peck

   The biggest piece of advice I will take away from this book is the importance of self-reflection. I think many people with power overlook the true consequences of a decision due to lack of information and evidence, and because of the haste with which they have to make some decisions. I think the choice to drop the atomic bomb should have been made after more information was gathered about long-term affects on the people of Hiroshima and their health. Many scientists and Americans who helped make the decision did so blindly, and watched as the truth of the bomb unfold across the city.

1. I will probably hold on to Dr. Sasaki and Mrs. Nakamura's experiences the most. Dr. Sasaki struck me throughout the novel as someone who truly was a hero. He worked tirelessly through impossible statistics to help as many people as possible and to make do with the available resources. So many doctors were injured or killed as a result of the bomb, which left a handful to take care of thousands that were hurt. To me, that is one of the most heroic things a person could do in their life. Mrs. Nakamura's story stuck with me also because of her pure determination for her children. She was constantly doing whatever she could to provide a safer, more comfortable environment for her children, even amidst a devastating tragedy.

2. For me, the intellectual response to the statistics in this book is amazing. 100,000 people killed from one bomb is mind-boggling. Also, finding out that there were 8 doctors caring for 10,000 patients was incredible. The emotion I experienced because of this story was the biggest part for me personally, though. This book has enough detail to really help you feel like you can see some of the people and their injuries, and you feel like you get to know the main characters that you follow throughout their journeys.

3. One of the passages I would want to remember is, "...Over everything--up through the wreckage of the city, in gutters, along the riverbanks, tangled among tiles and tin roofing, climbing on charred tree trunks--was a blanket of fresh, vivid, lush, optimistic green; the verdancy rose even from the foundations of ruined houses. Weeds already hid the ashes, and wild flowers were in bloom and among the city's bones." This stuck me as so ironic because of the devastation that happened to the city. It's also really interesting, because I don't quite understand what about the bomb would make the vegetation grow so vibrantly and rapidly, so it's a bit of a mystery.

Another is, " It would be impossible to say what horrors were embedded in the minds of the children who lived through the day of the bombing in Hiroshima." This made me so sad because it's so true. None of us who didn't go through that devastating event will never know the fear and pain that was instilled especially into the children. 

Finally, "On the other side, at a higher spit, he lifted the slimy living bodies out and carried them up the slope away from the tide. He had to keep consciously repeating to himself, 'These are human beings.' It took him three trips to get them all across the river."

4. I think from this book, the most important thing to take away is to stick up for what you think is right. In the middle of the city collapsing, there were people still trying to take care of the dying people because it was the right thing to do, even if they didn't have a chance. Also, like Mrs. Nakamura, for her, taking care of her children was the right thing to do.