03 The Books that Changed Us — Hiroshima

John Hersey's Hiroshima revealed the true horror of the 1945 nuclear bombing of Japan. Following the lives of six ordinary people from the moment of impact, the American journalist brought home the reality of the destruction and suffering caused by the atomic bombings. 

First published in The New Yorker Magazine in 1946 it soon came out as a standalone book and became a bestseller. Some have argued that it lead to the beginning of the disarmament and counter-proliferation movement.

This is the third title in the series, The Books That Changed Us which takes a fresh look at five influential books of the 20th century.

GuestsLesley Blume — author of Fallout: The Hiroshima Cover-up and the Reporter Who Revealed It to the World

MG Sheftall — Professor of modern Japanese cultural history and communication at the Faculty of Informatics of Shizuoka University, author of Hiroshima: The Last Witnesses.

Tilman Ruff — Board member, International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (Nobel Peace Prize 1985); Founding international and Australian Chair, co-founder, Australian Committee member, International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN, Nobel Peace Prize 2017); Honorary Principal Fellow, School of Population and Global Health, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne