The Day the Sun Rose in the West: Bikini, the Lucky Dragon, and I

Every person in the world should read this book. It is not (except for a few anecdotal asides) a fun or pleasant read; it is the autobiography of a fisherman who was accidentally nuked during the bungled Castle Bravo test. It is a story of major world history events, spoken to through the eyes of an ordinary man who was caught up in them.I may not agree with all of the author's conclusions and stances, but it is a book that should be read nonetheless. He certainly makes a compelling tale of the impact of our previously reckless habit of detonating nuclear weapons in and around the largest fishing grounds in the world!

Very interesting book which comes from the Japanese insight and adds much to the American book published some years ago, "The Voyage of the Lucky Dragon." Would recommend both books. However, this one builds a further case for how the nuclear weapons testing negatively impacted Japan. Great photos and well constructed narrative portraying how this island nation has suffered the slings and arrows of nuclear energy.

In 1954 the U.S. tested a hydrogen bomb at Bikini Atoll in the Pacific Ocean. The yield of the weapon was much higher than expected. Oishi Matashichi was a young man working on a fishing boat; the vessel was 100 miles from the point of explosion yet still got covered with radioactive ash. In this English translation Matashichi describes the suffering of the crew as a result, and how the radioactivity harmed many other people as well. A very informative book.

The positive rating is more for the shipper than the actual book content. Does not live up to the hype. I'm fairly knowledgeable on the subject matter and this book does not hold my interest.