Review by New York Times Review
DURING WORLD WAR II the crucibles of the Holocaust and the atom bombs refined certain souls. Two new nonfiction books for middle-grade readers present two such people: a man devoted to God who planned murder in order to save others, and a girl who, seeing that her family was destroyed, grew into a woman who spoke out for peace. Despite its catchy title, "The Plot to Kill Hitler," by Patricia McCormick, a two-time National Book Award finalist, is not only about the attempts on Hitler's life. Rather, it's a fascinating biography of the German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who not only plotted to kill Hitler but risked his life speaking out for Jews until he was hanged in the Flossenbürg concentration camp. The sixth child of a prominent Berlin psychiatrist and a college-educated mother, Bonhoeffer was a quiet, musical boy whose choice to become a minister seemed at odds with his mostly non-churchgoing upbringing. He became known for his brilliant theology. Arguing that the community of the church could transcend all boundaries, even religious ones, he became a relentless critic of Hitler. While most of the German clergy swore allegiance to Hitler and preached "Mein Kampf" instead of the Bible, Bonhoeffer joined a group of resisters. When his brother-in-law began to compile evidence of Nazi atrocities, particularly against Jews, Bonhoeffer smuggled the information out of Germany, pleading with the Allies for help. When they wouldn't, Bonhoeffer, his family and their friends decided to kill Hitler themselves. Three assassination plots failed. Bonhoeffer and several family members and co-conspirators were killed by Nazis, but Bonhoeffer's words survived to inspire Martin Luther King Jr., Desmond Tutu and others still today. It's deep stuff for children, but McCormick, who has already tackled child prostitution ("Sold") and genocide ("Never Fall Down"), makes it work. She gracefully elucidates the major influences on Bonhoeffer's life, stressing his moral dilemmas and his decision to "speak out for those who cannot speak." Caren Stelson's "Sachiko: A Nagasaki Bomb Survivor's Story" presents with equal clarity the devastation of the atomic bombing on one small girl. Six-year-old Sachiko was playing outside with friends half a mile from the hypocenter when the bomb fell on Nagasaki on Aug. 9, 1945. Her four friends died instantly, but all of Sachiko's family except her 2-year-old brother survived the initial explosion. Within days one brother died of radiation sickness and another from infection. Sachiko, her sister Misa, her mother and her father all suffered terribly from radiation sickness; Misa died of leukemia without ever being strong enough to attend school. Despite their shattered lives, extreme poverty and desolation, Sachiko's father spoke to her of peace: "Hate only produces hate." He taught her about Mohandas K. Gandhi and about Helen Keller, who visited Nagasaki in 1948, As hibakusha, or "explosion-affected people," Sachiko and her parents remained in the mushroom cloud's shadow: Her father died of liver cancer, and Sachiko herself overcame thyroid cancer but had to work hard to regain the ability to speak. She worked as an accountant and studied the words of Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. As the 50th anniversary of the atomic bomb on Nagasaki approached, Sachiko found she had something to say. For the next 20 years she traveled in North America and Japan, spreading a message of peace. Caren Stelson met Sachiko Yasui in Minneapolis in 2005 and made five trips to Japan to interview her. While the book contains historical notes, informational sidebars, photographs and maps, most of the narrative is Sachiko's account, magnetic and chilling in its simplicity. Stelson lets Sachiko become the hero of her own story; her quiet survival is an inspiring trajectory of redemption. Like McCormick, Stelson has created a book that is both personal and universal, both thoroughly researched and real. KIMBERLY BRUBAKER BRADLEY'S most recent book, "The War That Saved My Life," won a Newbery Honor in 2016.
Copyright (c) The New York Times Company [November 13, 2016]
Review by Booklist Review
*Starred Review* As Fat Man hurled toward the city of Nagasaki on August 9, 1945, Sachiko Yasui, 6, was playing house. She ducked for cover, awaking hours later just half a mile from the bomb's hypocenter, buried beneath mountains of debris, her mouth clogged with ash. Stelson first heard Sachiko speak in August 2005. From 2010-15, Stelson traveled to and from Nagasaki, conducting a series of five interviews with the singular Sachiko. The result is a story of staggering hardship and extraordinary resolve. In it Stelson outlines the plight of Sachiko, her family, and other hibakusha (explosion-affected people), from the Yasuis' lengthy trek to safety in nearby Shimbara and decimating radiation sickness, to the grueling restoration of a barren city. The narrative is further supplemented by two-page educational tidbits interspersed throughout. Here Stelson addresses the Japanese government, Emperor Hirohito, and prime minister Hideki Tojo; internment camps; the U.S.' stifling occupation of Japan; and the long-term effects of radiation. With Sachiko forever in the foreground, readers learn of her grievous loss, devotion to education, regard for peace (and its devotees: Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., Helen Keller), and her fairly recent decision to give voice to her experiences. Sachiko and her story, much like the resilient Nagasaki camphor trees she so admires, are an indelible force. Luminous, enduring, utterly necessary.--Shemroske, Briana Copyright 2016 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Fifty years after surviving the atomic bombing of Nagasaki as a six-year-old, Sachiko Yasui began to share her story. This moving work of creative nonfiction offers Yasui's account of life in wartime Japan, the "unspeakable seconds" of the bombing, her family's struggle to survive, the deaths of her siblings from radiation sickness, her thyroid cancer, and her decades-long struggle to find words as a hibakusha, a survivor of the bombing. Photographs and short essays on topics that include "Racism and War," "Little Boy and Fat Man" (code names for the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, respectively), and "Long-Term Effects of Radiation" provide illuminating background. Throughout, Stelson highlights defining moments in Yasui's life, such as her father's grief over Gandhi's death, Helen Keller's visit to Nagasaki, and Yasui's awareness of nonviolent protests led by Martin Luther King Jr., which influenced her eventual commitment to speak ("Sachiko knew this: the world must never again see nuclear war"). This powerful narrative account of one person finding her voice after insufferable trauma encapsulates a grim era in global history. Ages 10-up. Agent: Rubin Pfeffer, Rubin Pfeffer Content. (Oct.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 5-8-Sachiko Yasui was just six years old when the atomic bomb was dropped on her hometown of Nagasaki. On August 9, 1945, she went from playing house with her friends to burying them. Yasui also lost a brother that day and would lose many more family members because of radiation sickness. Growing up, she was ostracized for her status as hibakusha, a bomb survivor. Despite her trauma and the bullying she faced, Yasui endured. She sought out inspiration from the likes of Helen Keller, Mohandas Gandhi, and Martin Luther King Jr. Their works allowed her to make peace with the events in her life. Stelson recounts hearing Yasui speak at a ceremony to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This event would spark a long and intimate process in which Stelson repeatedly met with and interviewed Yasui in order to tell her story. Frequent historical notes provide context to the events happening in the narrative: Japan's role in World War II, the issue of racism in the war, President Truman's ultimatum, the effects of radiation sickness, the U.S. occupation of Japan after the war, and more. Back matter includes a glossary of Japanese terms used in the book and detailed maps of where events took place. VERDICT This sensitive and well-crafted account of a Nagasaki bomb survivor is an essential addition to World War II biography collections for middle school students.-Deidre Winterhalter, Niles Public Library, IL © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
The result of extensive interviews with Nagasaki atomic bomb survivor Sachiko Yasui, Stelson's sensitively crafted account spans fifty years of Yasui's life, starting in August 1945 when the bomb was dropped (she was six years old) and ending in August 1995, when Yasui agreed to speak publicly about her experiences for the first time. Stelson structures her narrative around Yasui's decades-long struggle to find the courage to share her traumatic story with others; her eventual decision to finally speak up--"What happened to me must never happen to you"--is movingly foreshadowed when, years after the bomb, Yasui fights to regain her voice after radiation-related thyroid cancer takes away her ability to talk. Stelson wisely uses a limited-omniscient point of view, allowing readers to see events through Yasui's eyes but not become overwhelmed by the horrors she endured. Her tragic tale is full of terror and despair, but hope and peace also loom large, as Yasui finds strength and inspiration in such figures as Helen Keller, Gandhi, and Martin Luther King Jr. Interspersed with ten brief, informative essays ("Racism and War," "Radiation Sickness," "The H-Bomb," etc.) and illustrated with numerous photos, this is a significant addition to the available material. An author's note, a glossary of Japanese words, ample source notes, a bibliography arranged by subject, lists of related books and websites, and an index are appended. jennifer m. brabander (c) Copyright 2017. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Books about the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki for young people are plentiful, but very few focus on the hibakusha, survivors of the bombings, and this important biography notably fills that gap. Sachiko Yasui was 6 when an atomic bomb exploded half a mile from her home in Nagasaki. After briefly describing the impact of the war on Sachikos life, Stelson focuses on the immediate aftermath and the years that followed, culminating in 1995, the 50th anniversary of the bombing, when Sachiko began sharing her experiences publicly. The narrative effectively conveys the long-lasting effects of the bombings, including such radiation-related maladies as leukemia and thyroid cancer. Stelson acknowledges that the necessity of the atomic bombing to end the war with Japan is debatable. Although Stelson interviewed Sachiko extensively, direct quotes, which would add significant impact to the narrative, are not used, and oddly absent is any sense of Sachikos feelings about the bombing. Hibakusha typically speak of the atomic bombings as an important lesson to the world and display a sense of goodwill and understanding rather than animosity or bitterness. There is also no discussion about why the United States bombed Nagasaki so soon after Hiroshima, giving the Japanese so little time to assess and respond to the first attack. An important perspective on the atomic bombings, a controversial decision that continues to provoke passionate debate. (photo, maps, glossary, source notes, bibliography, further reading) (Biography. 12-18) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
