.com Review From Henry Holt and Company and Macmillan Books It is with deep regret that Henry Holt and Company announces that we will no longer print, correct or ship copies of Charles Pellegrino's The Last Train from Hiroshima due to the discovery of a dishonest sources of information for the book. It is easy to understand how even the most diligent author could be duped by a source, but we also understand that opens that book to very detailed scrutiny. The author of any work of non-fiction must stand behind its content. We must rely on our authors to answer questions that may arise as to the accuracy of their work and reliability of their sources. Unfortunately, Mr. Pellegrino was not able to answer the additional questions that have arisen about his book to our satisfaction. Mr. Pellegrino has a long history in the publishing world, and we were very proud and honored to publish his history of such an important historical event. But without the confidence that we can stand behind the work in its entirety, we cannot continue to sell this product to our customers. Read more From Publishers Weekly Starred Review. Using a combination of firsthand accounts of Japanese A-bomb survivors, American aviators, and classified documents of government officials, Pellegrino (The Jesus Family Tomb) reconstructs two horrifying days and their aftermath when the age of atomic warfare was introduced over Japan. He is fascinated with the strange alchemy of these cruel weapons (One ten-millionth of a second later, a sphere of gamma rays escap[ed] the core at light speed) as the bomb fell on Mrs. Aoyam tending her garden at Point Zero, literally before she could see it coming. Pellegrino is equally interested in the grotesque effects the blasts in Hiroshima and Nagasaki inflicted on the human body with its gamma rays, neutron spray and poisonous black rain. The stories of the few Japanese survivors includes a group of 30 civilians fleeing from Hiroshima to Nagasaki where they arrived to endure the second bomb, are heart-stopping. Pellegrino dissects the complex political and military strategies that went into the atomic detonations and the untold suffering heaped on countless Japanese civilians, weaving all of the book's many elements into a wise, informed protest against any further use of these terrible weapons. 16 pages of b&w photos, maps. (Jan.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Read more See all Editorial Reviews
F**A
More than a good read
My ancestors were only that: ancestors. People without faces or history.This book turned my faceless ancestors into real people and this book gave me backmy history. Pellegrino's incredible presentation with his talent for descriptive writing, is a mustread so we who speak of wanting a war-free world for our children, will do more than wishing them inpoetry and song.Until we are able to personalize that part of our history that is destructive and inhumane, we will repeat history. This book doesthat for us, putting faces and real people into that part of history that cannot be forgotten and cannot be repeated.For writers out there, read this book, not only for the content, but for the structure of how the story is presented. Pellegrino's books have become my source on "How to Improve your Own Writing."
G**N
Everybody should read this book.
A very good book. especially the ending with the summation. Great price.
S**K
The Last Train from Hiroshima
A good read about the individuals who survived the nuclear bombings both at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. A bit difficult to follow because of numerous characters with unfamiliar Japanese names. Not for the faint-of-heart.
A**R
A shame
In "The Last Train from Hiroshima", Charles Pellegrino seems to sacrifice facts for style. The book is supposed to be a detailed account of the suffering on the ground in Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the action in the bombers in the skies above just before the bomb was dropped. Mr. Pellegrino's book starts out as a promising account of these facts. Many of his accounts of the survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki (and especially the "double" survivors who remarkably survived both cities) look absolutely riveting. For instance his book begins with a morbidly poetic and reasonably accurate scientific description of the immediate effects of the bomb, where some survived because they were shielded while their friends who were only a few feet away were vaporized because of exposure. Further on he seems to describeAlas, these absorbing accounts are not supported by meticulous research and factual accuracy as has now been amply demonstrated. There are many important omissions and errors. Most importantly I was astonished to see that Pellegrino does not at all mention Capt. William "Deke" Parsons who was instrumental in arming the Hiroshima bomb in flight and designing its gun assembly. Similarly he erroneously says that Harold Urey and his student Stanley Miller won Nobel Prizes for their work on the origins of life (Urey won an unrelated Nobel for his discovery of deuterium). Recently the New York Times (February 20, 2010 issue) had an article about how an entire account of the Hiroshima bomb in Mr. Pellegrino's book by one Joseph Fuoco was essentially fabricated, for a simple reason; Mr. Fuoco was almost certainly not on the plane, and his name does not appear in any of the other mainstream accounts. Instead the relevant man on the plane was a James Corliss who is never mentioned in the book. The fact-checking in this book seems to have fallen short on many accounts.To Mr. Pellegrino's credit, he has immediately owned up to his mistake and claims that he was "duped" by Mr. Fuoco. But given the other errors in the book including those cited above, one simply cannot take this otherwise seemingly absorbing book seriously until there is evidence that the material has been thoroughly vetted. A real shame.March 2, 2010: Update- The publisher has decided to stop printing and shipping this book until concerns have been resolved.
H**Y
Good information
my dad loved this book as he is a WW2 decorated veteran.
M**.
Read a book, not a review.
Good book. Accuracy in question though.
J**N
Is This Book Really Accurate?
I was disturbed to learn from fellow reviewers that much of the information contained in this book is false. After reading the book, I came away with a new perspective on the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, but after reading other reviews, I feel somewhat deceived.The points in question include the supposed bomb malfunction on Tinian island and the fact that Joe Fuoco never flew on either atomic bomb mission. Author Charles Pellegrino relies heavily on statements/incidents in which Fuoco was said to be involved. If in fact Fuoco was never involved in these missions, then the information must either be false or it never took place originally.I must say that I was truly disappointed to find out about Pellegrino's errors. I really did enjoy reading the book, but my enjoyment and new-found knowledge has been tempered with these new revelations. Hopefully, Mr. Pellegrino will release a corrected edition of the book, because much of the information contained within was truly fascinating to read.
S**H
Amazing to read that at least 30 people were "double ...
As a physicist I was astonished by some of the physics revealed in this book. I did not know that the Hiroshima bomb was a "fizzle" yielding only about 9 kilotons of explosive force when it was planned for 20kT. The Nagasaki bomb actually missed Nagasaki and took out the neighboring city. And the medical descriptions are far more detailed than anything I have ever read. Amazing to read that at least 30 people were "double survivors" of both Hiroshima and Nagasaki
M**N
one of the best survivors book I have read! awesome, a must read esp in these times!
The Last Train from Hiroshima: The Survivors Look Back by Charles Pellegrino, Arthur Morey (Narrator) is a book that needs to be read by everyone.
E**T
Best Book I've Read this Year Since the Bible!
Amazing book! A window into the Japanese culture of this era. Very interesting details of the atomic changes by the microsecond of the changes wrought by the unleashing of this...
A**G
Four Stars
Good read.
R**R
then the critical reading skills of those who try to make a case for trashing the book are as polluted as the worst industrial c
All this back & forth I'm reading here is about a few minor incidents and details (true or false) that are not even on the main point of the book - small side interests that may...
G**R
Publisher drops the ball on this one?
Hillenbrand referenced this book in "Unbroken" so I checked it out. I found the descriptions of the effects of the bomb on humans and structures astonishingly detailed to...
J**B
Incredible book
Excellent
T**E
5*A+ accurate description~packaged safely in durable mailer~fast shipping~Thank You!
5*A+ accurate description~packaged safely in durable mailer~fast shipping~Thank You!
M**D
I loved it
if you are a stickler for what is iron clad fact versus what is hear say you may be upset to learn that this non-fiction is more like a work of glorified non-fiction that puts it...
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