John Hersey's "Hiroshima" was published in 1946, offering a raw account of the atomic bombing's aftermath. It highlighted grotesque details, like a man's attempt to lift a woman's skin from a sandpit and a mother cleaning dirt from her choking infant's mouth. Hersey's honest portrayal spurred widespread public outrage, contrasting the government's justification of the bombing. Military officials downplayed its effects, but Hersey's work uncovered the hidden human cost, solidifying the debate surrounding nuclear weapons and their ethical implications. The impact was immediate, leading to high sales and a broader conversation about the morality of nuclear warfare.
A man tried to lift a woman out of a sandpit, "but her skin slipped off in huge, glove-like pieces." The detonation buried a woman and her infant alive.
Hersey's reporting "didn't just change the public debate about nuclear weapons-it created the debate." Until then, President Truman celebrated the attack without addressing the human cost.
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