Book club selection per POC, session held Feb 1, 2026.
Some interesting items about the two A-bombs dropped on Japan but I could never quite figure out what the author's point was. Coincidences of a few folks who experienced the bombings in both Hiroshima and Nagasaki, OK.
Couldn't keep the names straight but that worked out.
Lots of details or suggestions about physics or nuclear stuff happening immediately at the bomb drop and then in the aftermath. Sounded cool but I didn't really understand much here.
I was interested in the discussion of coming up with a flight plan that enabled the plane to escape the bomb. Hadn't thought about how bombs normally proceed in the direction of the dropping bomber.
Japan anything but a victim. What was up with Japan (going back to Mejii Restoration)? The "cherry blossom" weapon - more suicide bombing. Ask China.
The POWs becoming captors, instantly - compliance/obedience.
Talking about how terrible it all was but couldn't really pick up a POV as to who was doing the wrong thing here. Sure everyone agrees that having these weapons around is a bad thing but probably also agrees better for US than Russia, Germany, Japan. Today: Iran, etc.
Japanese internment in the US - mostly taking the second-guessing approach "oh how awful".
Hadn't known or thought about the discrimination in Japan against folks with exposure - either had or could get "disease X" - affected jobs, marriages, schooling.
Same with Japanese who had emigrated to US and then sought to return to Japan.
Lots of cranes by a dying little girl - OK.
Working hard to weave in Trump.
Couldn't see how it added much to John Hersey's 1946 classic ("Hiroshima") - which followed six survivors - very immediate - lacked backward-looking perspective but that probably was a plus.
