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Nagasaki: The Last Witnesses
The second volume in a prize-worthy two-book series based on years of irreplicable personal interviews with survivors about each of the atomic bomb drops, first in Hiroshima and then Nagasaki, that hastened the end of the Pacific War.
On August 6, 1945, the United States unleashed a weapon unlike anything the world had ever seen. Then, just three days later, when Japan showed no sign of surrender, the United States took aim at Nagasaki.
Rendered in harrowing detail, this historical narrative is the second and final volume in M. G. Sheftall’s series Embers. Sheftall has spent years personally interviewing hibakusha—the Japanese word for atomic bomb survivors. These last living witnesses are a vanishing memory resource, the only people who can still provide us with reliable and detailed testimony about life in their cities before the use of nuclear weaponry.
The result is an intimate, firsthand account of life in Nagasaki, and the story of incomprehensible devastation and resilience in the aftermath of the second atomic bomb drop. This blow-by-blow account takes us from the city streets, as word of the attack on Hiroshima reaches civilians, to the cockpit of Bockscar, when Charles Sweeney dropped “Fat Man," to the interminable six days while the world waited to see if Japan would surrender to the Allies--or if more bombs would fall.
On August 6, 1945, the United States unleashed a weapon unlike anything the world had ever seen. Then, just three days later, when Japan showed no sign of surrender, the United States took aim at Nagasaki.
Rendered in harrowing detail, this historical narrative is the second and final volume in M. G. Sheftall’s series Embers. Sheftall has spent years personally interviewing hibakusha—the Japanese word for atomic bomb survivors. These last living witnesses are a vanishing memory resource, the only people who can still provide us with reliable and detailed testimony about life in their cities before the use of nuclear weaponry.
The result is an intimate, firsthand account of life in Nagasaki, and the story of incomprehensible devastation and resilience in the aftermath of the second atomic bomb drop. This blow-by-blow account takes us from the city streets, as word of the attack on Hiroshima reaches civilians, to the cockpit of Bockscar, when Charles Sweeney dropped “Fat Man," to the interminable six days while the world waited to see if Japan would surrender to the Allies--or if more bombs would fall.
496 pages, Hardcover
Published August 5, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
July 20, 2025
Nagasaki: The Last Witnesses, is the second book in the Embers series, with the first book entitled Hiroshima. Both works are timely following the recent release of the film Oppenheimer which looked at the development of atomic weapons and their impact on the world. These Japanese cities were targets of the first atomic bombs used in World War II as a way to finally get Japan to surrender unconditionally and end hostilities. I have not read the first book in the series, but that was not a problem in reading this book.
The book is detailed from both a historical and contemporary perspective. Sheftall uses a double narrative approach in telling the reader about the bombing of Nagasaki. The first narrative is concerned with a set of actual survivors before, during, and after August 9, 1945. A second narrative concerns the military perspective, both the American and Japanese, again before, during and after the drop of Fat Man, the name of the second atomic weapon.
As an American who has never been to Japan, I became lost in the descriptions of some of the streets and locations in Nagasaki. There is one map at the front of the book but reading a digital version it was not possible to go back and forth and try to figure out what was what and where was where. The author obviously wanted to tell an accurate story, but I found myself glossing over some the names and trying to recall what was significant about this one area of Nagasaki versus another.
As this was an advanced review copy there were no photographs or other illustrations that I hope make the printed version of the book.
I knew very little about the Nagasaki bombing before reading this book. I learned quite a bit, and it was interesting how the author contrasts the differences between Hiroshima-Nagasaki in terms of how the events are remembered, the different interpretations of why it happened, and so forth.
Nothing can compare with the horrors of an atomic weapon, and we can only hope and pray for our grandchildren (in my case) that these means of destruction are never used again. The descriptions of the victims and the suffering of those from radiation syndrome were very hard to read.
It is a very good book. For my own minor criticisms as mentioned earlier I give the book 4.25 stars rounded down to 4.0.
My thanks to author M. G. Sheftall, publisher Dutton Books, and NetGalley for the opportunity to review an ARC of this new work. I attest my review is my original and unbiased work.
The book is detailed from both a historical and contemporary perspective. Sheftall uses a double narrative approach in telling the reader about the bombing of Nagasaki. The first narrative is concerned with a set of actual survivors before, during, and after August 9, 1945. A second narrative concerns the military perspective, both the American and Japanese, again before, during and after the drop of Fat Man, the name of the second atomic weapon.
As an American who has never been to Japan, I became lost in the descriptions of some of the streets and locations in Nagasaki. There is one map at the front of the book but reading a digital version it was not possible to go back and forth and try to figure out what was what and where was where. The author obviously wanted to tell an accurate story, but I found myself glossing over some the names and trying to recall what was significant about this one area of Nagasaki versus another.
As this was an advanced review copy there were no photographs or other illustrations that I hope make the printed version of the book.
I knew very little about the Nagasaki bombing before reading this book. I learned quite a bit, and it was interesting how the author contrasts the differences between Hiroshima-Nagasaki in terms of how the events are remembered, the different interpretations of why it happened, and so forth.
Nothing can compare with the horrors of an atomic weapon, and we can only hope and pray for our grandchildren (in my case) that these means of destruction are never used again. The descriptions of the victims and the suffering of those from radiation syndrome were very hard to read.
It is a very good book. For my own minor criticisms as mentioned earlier I give the book 4.25 stars rounded down to 4.0.
My thanks to author M. G. Sheftall, publisher Dutton Books, and NetGalley for the opportunity to review an ARC of this new work. I attest my review is my original and unbiased work.
July 31, 2025
There’s a phrase that I’ve heard used in the aftermath of events when people have been killed: “Say their names.” It’s meant to center the affected human beings in the narrative, rather than giving attention to the person(s) who caused their deaths. I thought about that phrase a lot while reading “Nagasaki: The Last Witnesses.” When Americans learn about World War II and the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, we don’t learn about the human beings affected by those actions. The people are just numbers: in Nagasaki, 60,000 to 80,000 people who were killed, of an estimated 263,000 people who were in the city that day. We don’t say their names; we aren’t even really taught what happened to them.
With his ‘Embers’ series, M.G. Sheftall shares the names and the voices of some of the last survivors of the atomic bombings, known in Japan as hibakusha. ‘Nagasaki’ picks up, of course, where last year’s fantastic volume about Hiroshima left off.
Gunge Norio. Ishida (Yanagawa) Masako. Sister Ursula Itonaga Yoshi. Tateno Sueko. Kiridōshi (Kano) Michiko. They have names. In the blink of an eye they lost practically everything – homes, loved ones, any sense of safety or security – and yet they survived, and lived to share what they went through.
Sheftall walks us through the American-side logistics of the dropping of the bomb, but primarily, we are introduced to his five informants – what their wartime lives were like with their families in the city of Nagasaki prior to the atomic bomb, as well as how the general culture of wartime Japan shaped their thoughts and their lives. We then hear their harrowing accounts of where they were and what they experienced at the moment of the bombing and in the immediate aftermath. I did not start crying, though, until nearly the end: when we hear about the lives that they went on to live as survivors, as well as advocates and educators. That’s a triumph, I think, and made me quite emotional after knowing all that they endured, physically and psychologically.
I think it’s so important that we listen to these voices and internalize these stories. I do consider myself a pacifist, and it’s my hope that by thinking a little more deeply about people to whom we can put a name and a face, rather than just numbers, we might just be a little less quick to physical destruction. Maybe that’s my naïveté, but I think holding people in mind in the context of any conflict matters, anyway.
Sheftall does a great job of telling survivors’ stories as well as communicating on a purely factual basis what happened in the atomic bombings. I would absolutely recommend both books in this series to anyone who has an interest in history, science, World War II, Japanese culture, or survivors’ stories.
Big thanks to Dutton Books & NetGalley for the opportunity to read & share about this book early.
With his ‘Embers’ series, M.G. Sheftall shares the names and the voices of some of the last survivors of the atomic bombings, known in Japan as hibakusha. ‘Nagasaki’ picks up, of course, where last year’s fantastic volume about Hiroshima left off.
Gunge Norio. Ishida (Yanagawa) Masako. Sister Ursula Itonaga Yoshi. Tateno Sueko. Kiridōshi (Kano) Michiko. They have names. In the blink of an eye they lost practically everything – homes, loved ones, any sense of safety or security – and yet they survived, and lived to share what they went through.
Sheftall walks us through the American-side logistics of the dropping of the bomb, but primarily, we are introduced to his five informants – what their wartime lives were like with their families in the city of Nagasaki prior to the atomic bomb, as well as how the general culture of wartime Japan shaped their thoughts and their lives. We then hear their harrowing accounts of where they were and what they experienced at the moment of the bombing and in the immediate aftermath. I did not start crying, though, until nearly the end: when we hear about the lives that they went on to live as survivors, as well as advocates and educators. That’s a triumph, I think, and made me quite emotional after knowing all that they endured, physically and psychologically.
I think it’s so important that we listen to these voices and internalize these stories. I do consider myself a pacifist, and it’s my hope that by thinking a little more deeply about people to whom we can put a name and a face, rather than just numbers, we might just be a little less quick to physical destruction. Maybe that’s my naïveté, but I think holding people in mind in the context of any conflict matters, anyway.
Sheftall does a great job of telling survivors’ stories as well as communicating on a purely factual basis what happened in the atomic bombings. I would absolutely recommend both books in this series to anyone who has an interest in history, science, World War II, Japanese culture, or survivors’ stories.
Big thanks to Dutton Books & NetGalley for the opportunity to read & share about this book early.
August 8, 2025
[I received this title from the publisher Via Netgalley in exchange for a review.]
In the epilogue of the second volume in his duology about the atomic bombs dropped on Japan, after a lengthy discussion about the controversial 'Enola Gay' exhibition at the Smithsonian which drew ire for (eventually cancelled) plans to showcase information about atomic bomb victims, M.G. Sheftall notes that "readers are encouraged to regard the books as an incarnation in literary form of the Enola Gay exhibit that never was."
And I think it is the most apt description of Sheftall's work here, which is at its best when it is focusing on the stories of those who were on the ground on those fateful August days.
In the second of the two books, Nagasaki: The Last Witnesses , Sheftall turns his attention to what has become the "lesser-focused" of the two Japanese cities attacked using the newly developed atomic bomb. The reason why Nagasaki garners far less public and popular attention is something Sheftall addresses several times throughout the book, offering a few solid theories. One of the most poignant is the fact that the majority of victims in Nagasaki were the families left behind in the city, with survivors being those who had traveled away for work or war effort details. Another is the fact that Nagasaki, unlike Hiroshima, struggled far more in developing a postwar "survivor" culture that thrived by comparison in Hiroshima.
Yet, for all that Sheftall seems to want to spotlight the stories given far less attention in comparison to that of Hiroshima survivors, the recollections of those survivors--the titular "Last Witnesses" is something I found lacking in this volume.
In comparison to the previous work, 'Nagasaki' focused far less on the stories of both victims and survivors, and far more on the technical and broader contextual elements related to the attack. For instance, there are heavy details on what went into planning the Whereas the previous work, Hiroshima: The Last Witnesses contained almost unrelenting accounts of those who survived (and didn't) Hiroshima, that element was not really a main focus here. At least, not by comparison.
The first section of the book largely focuses on the history of Nagasaki and its development as an industrial center, along with a detailed description of the military planning involved in choosing Nagasaki as a target--or rather, choosing Nagasaki as the backup target if the initial target could not be used--and the state of Japan's potential surrender leading up to the usage of the atomic bombs. Sheftall also goes into great detail about the history of the specific survivors focused on in the book, including their family histories and positions, and how they came to be where they were when the bomb was dropped.
It wasn't until more than 50% of the way through the book that Sheftall finally reaches the point of dropping the bomb on Nagasaki, and the actual description of survivor or victim testimony did not take up much space compared to the earlier sections or the sections on the aftermath.
One of the things I was anticipating in "Nagasaki" was finally getting to hear the myriad of stories of the victims and survivors who are more often neglected in the survivor space, as Sheftall excelled in the previous work at focusing on countless people's whereabouts, stories of survival, or stories of their deaths. But for some reason, Sheftall pivoted in this second book to focusing on a handful of survivors and not much more. At least not in any great detail, as he did in the first book. The experiences of these handful of survivors are detailed, they are harrowing, and they did make me shed tears. But I did not get that same sense from "Hiroshima" that Sheftall was placing us all around the city and giving us a descriptive view of what happened and where and why.
After the relatively brief recounting of the actual bombing and its immediate aftermath, Sheftall shifts to the aftermath. The most interesting elements here were the discussions of how the "Nagasaki" atomic bomb memory became associated most heavily with Catholic survivors and victims, along with discussions of the censorship of some Nagasaki survivors in the years following the war. "Bells of Nagasaki," for instance, was only allowed to be published with a series of photos illustrating Japanese war crimes at the end.
Interspersed with the Nagasaki information are Sheftall's personal experiences at various atomic bomb memorials and interviews with survivors. While these did get a bit tiresome in "Hiroshima," I almost welcomed them here in comparison to the heavy details on war planning in the beginning of the book. Particularly moving is a passage where Sheftall recalls crying with a survivor whose brother was never recovered.
In the end, I have mixed feelings towards this second book. I will say that I think Sheftall's atomic bomb duology is going to be, and already is, an essential addition to the library of books on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. yet I can't help but feel let down by "Nagasaki" when it comes to the expectation that it was going to tell more of these untold stories. Perhaps the general lack of survivor literature that focuses on Nagasaki forced this pivot in the second book--perhaps not.
In any case, the epilogue brought the series home in a satisfying way, and I felt that I understood Sheftall's perspective and intentions with his book far more after having read it.
In the epilogue of the second volume in his duology about the atomic bombs dropped on Japan, after a lengthy discussion about the controversial 'Enola Gay' exhibition at the Smithsonian which drew ire for (eventually cancelled) plans to showcase information about atomic bomb victims, M.G. Sheftall notes that "readers are encouraged to regard the books as an incarnation in literary form of the Enola Gay exhibit that never was."
And I think it is the most apt description of Sheftall's work here, which is at its best when it is focusing on the stories of those who were on the ground on those fateful August days.
In the second of the two books, Nagasaki: The Last Witnesses , Sheftall turns his attention to what has become the "lesser-focused" of the two Japanese cities attacked using the newly developed atomic bomb. The reason why Nagasaki garners far less public and popular attention is something Sheftall addresses several times throughout the book, offering a few solid theories. One of the most poignant is the fact that the majority of victims in Nagasaki were the families left behind in the city, with survivors being those who had traveled away for work or war effort details. Another is the fact that Nagasaki, unlike Hiroshima, struggled far more in developing a postwar "survivor" culture that thrived by comparison in Hiroshima.
Yet, for all that Sheftall seems to want to spotlight the stories given far less attention in comparison to that of Hiroshima survivors, the recollections of those survivors--the titular "Last Witnesses" is something I found lacking in this volume.
In comparison to the previous work, 'Nagasaki' focused far less on the stories of both victims and survivors, and far more on the technical and broader contextual elements related to the attack. For instance, there are heavy details on what went into planning the Whereas the previous work, Hiroshima: The Last Witnesses contained almost unrelenting accounts of those who survived (and didn't) Hiroshima, that element was not really a main focus here. At least, not by comparison.
The first section of the book largely focuses on the history of Nagasaki and its development as an industrial center, along with a detailed description of the military planning involved in choosing Nagasaki as a target--or rather, choosing Nagasaki as the backup target if the initial target could not be used--and the state of Japan's potential surrender leading up to the usage of the atomic bombs. Sheftall also goes into great detail about the history of the specific survivors focused on in the book, including their family histories and positions, and how they came to be where they were when the bomb was dropped.
It wasn't until more than 50% of the way through the book that Sheftall finally reaches the point of dropping the bomb on Nagasaki, and the actual description of survivor or victim testimony did not take up much space compared to the earlier sections or the sections on the aftermath.
One of the things I was anticipating in "Nagasaki" was finally getting to hear the myriad of stories of the victims and survivors who are more often neglected in the survivor space, as Sheftall excelled in the previous work at focusing on countless people's whereabouts, stories of survival, or stories of their deaths. But for some reason, Sheftall pivoted in this second book to focusing on a handful of survivors and not much more. At least not in any great detail, as he did in the first book. The experiences of these handful of survivors are detailed, they are harrowing, and they did make me shed tears. But I did not get that same sense from "Hiroshima" that Sheftall was placing us all around the city and giving us a descriptive view of what happened and where and why.
After the relatively brief recounting of the actual bombing and its immediate aftermath, Sheftall shifts to the aftermath. The most interesting elements here were the discussions of how the "Nagasaki" atomic bomb memory became associated most heavily with Catholic survivors and victims, along with discussions of the censorship of some Nagasaki survivors in the years following the war. "Bells of Nagasaki," for instance, was only allowed to be published with a series of photos illustrating Japanese war crimes at the end.
Interspersed with the Nagasaki information are Sheftall's personal experiences at various atomic bomb memorials and interviews with survivors. While these did get a bit tiresome in "Hiroshima," I almost welcomed them here in comparison to the heavy details on war planning in the beginning of the book. Particularly moving is a passage where Sheftall recalls crying with a survivor whose brother was never recovered.
In the end, I have mixed feelings towards this second book. I will say that I think Sheftall's atomic bomb duology is going to be, and already is, an essential addition to the library of books on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. yet I can't help but feel let down by "Nagasaki" when it comes to the expectation that it was going to tell more of these untold stories. Perhaps the general lack of survivor literature that focuses on Nagasaki forced this pivot in the second book--perhaps not.
In any case, the epilogue brought the series home in a satisfying way, and I felt that I understood Sheftall's perspective and intentions with his book far more after having read it.
June 8, 2025
My thanks to NetGalley and Dutton for an advance copy of this book of history, the second in a series that deals with the only uses of nuclear weapons used during wartime, the events that lead up to it, and of course what happened afterwards.
I have always loved history I think from an early age. I don't remember what the first books of history I read outside of school books. I don't remember much in the way of history classes until 6th grade. Pilgrims of course, and Columbus, but don't remember when we started really being instructed in past events. From the beginning I always wanted to know more. Everything we learned seemed to be events. This happened, flowed into this happened, and something else happened. I wanted to know more about the people who lived through the events. What happened to them. This interest might have come from my Grandfather, who told me long stories about people he met at work, stories that stretched over years and decades, dealing with marriage, children, life, death and more. Pop Pop was a chronicler, a man who remembered people who history might have forgotten. Facts are interesting, by the lives of others are where we can learn much. M. G. Sheftall knows this, and has given us a history about a human atrocity that doesn't forget the most important part, the human factor. Nagasaki: The Last Witnesses by historian and educator M. G. Sheftall is the second part of a historical series about the dropping of nuclear weapons on Japan during the Second World War, a behind the scenes history, an accounting and a tale of those who survived who were forever changed.
The book is the second and starts almost where the first book ended, with the bombing of Hiroshima committed, and the decision being made where the second bomb should be dropped. From there we go back a little to the planning made before the war made by American military planners in how to fight a war against Japan. As much of their buildings were made of wood, the planning was for a fire campaign The book covers the fire bombing of Tokyo, discussing the different zones the city was broken up in, and how these zone ideas were carries out onto most of the cities of Japan, including Nagasaki. The fire bombing and destruction of Tokyo has some unintended consequences for the survivors, with many being moved to what was the furthest city in Japan, and a place thought safe Nagasaki. As readers learn of the past, the book moves to the future with Sheftall working with survivor groups to find the last aging survivors so that Sheftall could record their stories.
The book as is most of history is a very rough read. Though one everyone should read. Sheftall is a very good writer, able to get into the smallest details about the science of the bomb, the geography and geology of the city, the minds of military planners. The capture the words of the survivors well on the page. Sheftall has really done an incredible job, writing history that is sad, absorbing, fascinating, and not at all detached. There are real characters here. A woman in her 80s retreating to a retirement community just to get some peace from her family, sharing her tales. The little bits of information, the disquieting details of what smells the pilots dealt with while firebombing a city, even at altitude. The power of the bomb, and the legacy it has on both the world and the Japanese people.
This is history that means something, not oh look a cool story about World War II, that come out all the time. This is a book about life, the world, events that can't be forgotten or memory holed. The things we say never again about, but happen all the time over and over Sheftall has done an incredible job over two books, and one should read both just to get a complete understanding. I really can't recommend this book enough.
I have always loved history I think from an early age. I don't remember what the first books of history I read outside of school books. I don't remember much in the way of history classes until 6th grade. Pilgrims of course, and Columbus, but don't remember when we started really being instructed in past events. From the beginning I always wanted to know more. Everything we learned seemed to be events. This happened, flowed into this happened, and something else happened. I wanted to know more about the people who lived through the events. What happened to them. This interest might have come from my Grandfather, who told me long stories about people he met at work, stories that stretched over years and decades, dealing with marriage, children, life, death and more. Pop Pop was a chronicler, a man who remembered people who history might have forgotten. Facts are interesting, by the lives of others are where we can learn much. M. G. Sheftall knows this, and has given us a history about a human atrocity that doesn't forget the most important part, the human factor. Nagasaki: The Last Witnesses by historian and educator M. G. Sheftall is the second part of a historical series about the dropping of nuclear weapons on Japan during the Second World War, a behind the scenes history, an accounting and a tale of those who survived who were forever changed.
The book is the second and starts almost where the first book ended, with the bombing of Hiroshima committed, and the decision being made where the second bomb should be dropped. From there we go back a little to the planning made before the war made by American military planners in how to fight a war against Japan. As much of their buildings were made of wood, the planning was for a fire campaign The book covers the fire bombing of Tokyo, discussing the different zones the city was broken up in, and how these zone ideas were carries out onto most of the cities of Japan, including Nagasaki. The fire bombing and destruction of Tokyo has some unintended consequences for the survivors, with many being moved to what was the furthest city in Japan, and a place thought safe Nagasaki. As readers learn of the past, the book moves to the future with Sheftall working with survivor groups to find the last aging survivors so that Sheftall could record their stories.
The book as is most of history is a very rough read. Though one everyone should read. Sheftall is a very good writer, able to get into the smallest details about the science of the bomb, the geography and geology of the city, the minds of military planners. The capture the words of the survivors well on the page. Sheftall has really done an incredible job, writing history that is sad, absorbing, fascinating, and not at all detached. There are real characters here. A woman in her 80s retreating to a retirement community just to get some peace from her family, sharing her tales. The little bits of information, the disquieting details of what smells the pilots dealt with while firebombing a city, even at altitude. The power of the bomb, and the legacy it has on both the world and the Japanese people.
This is history that means something, not oh look a cool story about World War II, that come out all the time. This is a book about life, the world, events that can't be forgotten or memory holed. The things we say never again about, but happen all the time over and over Sheftall has done an incredible job over two books, and one should read both just to get a complete understanding. I really can't recommend this book enough.
August 6, 2025
I received an advance reading copy (arc) of this book from the publisher and NetGalley.com in exchange for a fair review. This book is the second in a series--the first one was about Hiroshima. I began this book hoping to learn about the horrific effects of the second atomic bomb that was dropped on Nagasaki, Japan in 1945 to effectively end the Pacific side of World War II. I got there eventually, but first I had to read the two-thirds of the book. The author spent way too many pages detailing Japanese history. The textbook style of writing was very dry and I actually lost interest. I did persevere and when I finally got near the end, the narrative picked up and became very interesting. Author M.G. Sheftall lives and works in Japan and he had the opportunity to meet with several now elderly people who survived the bombing in Nagasaki. Their stories were harrowing and their explicit descriptions chilling. Hundreds of thousands of people died, but those who survived lived the rest of their lives haunted by the devastation they witnessed, as well as fear of what physical problems the future might hold. No one could possibly come out of something so terrible without scars--either visible or invisible. The saddest part to me was the fact that today's Japanese youth have no interest in what happened. According to Sheftall, they are apathetic to the fact that atomic weapons are still being developed despite what their own grandparents went through. If you are interested in Japanese history, then this book is for you.
August 11, 2025
Released a little before the 80th anniversary of the bombing, M. G. Sheftall's Nagasaki concludes the nonfiction duology Embers. Based on both historical research and interivews with the Japanese survivors of the bombing (hibakusha), Sheftall fully delineates the day to day American decisions of strategy and campaigns that led up to the bombing while also documenting the Japanese governments internal struggle to end the war and the everyday life of specific residents of Nagasaki.
It is very much a book of the Second World War, providing some context of the establishment of Nagasaki along with background of the war, the majority of the book is devoted to August 9, 1945 when, for the second time, a single devastating bomb was dropped on a city. Shetfall details this almost hour by hour from both the air crew slapstick like lists of equipment failures and missed connections to the five specific Japanese people on the ground going about a normal day, until cataclysm.
Sheftall also expands from the event, looking at how the memory of dropping of the bombs has been controversial in the US popular memory or become merely performative for some Japanese politicians. A highly readable narrative of one of the great crimes against humanity.
Recommended to readers of history, war or the dangers of technology.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book directly from the publisher, Dutton.
It is very much a book of the Second World War, providing some context of the establishment of Nagasaki along with background of the war, the majority of the book is devoted to August 9, 1945 when, for the second time, a single devastating bomb was dropped on a city. Shetfall details this almost hour by hour from both the air crew slapstick like lists of equipment failures and missed connections to the five specific Japanese people on the ground going about a normal day, until cataclysm.
Sheftall also expands from the event, looking at how the memory of dropping of the bombs has been controversial in the US popular memory or become merely performative for some Japanese politicians. A highly readable narrative of one of the great crimes against humanity.
Recommended to readers of history, war or the dangers of technology.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book directly from the publisher, Dutton.
July 24, 2025
This is an amazing duology. The author was very respectful of the history but also of the people. My favorite aspect is that he worked with them and wasn't just giving his perspective of the event. No. This is a work driven by the people's testimonies, their memories, their experience. It's not about opinions. It's about their detailed description of the consequences of one order, one set of actions on civilians. Most of these would have been children and young adults at the time who survived and now provide us with very detailed, hard but honest descriptions of what they witnessed and how their culture and traditions made them cope with it. The first book focuses on testimonies from Hiroshima (after the release of Little Boy), and this awaited second volume gives her Nagasaki's destruction of so many lives with the drop of Fat Man. A duology I highly recommend. Although the books look long, the diversity of scenes, testimonies, and memories (sometimes just 1 paragraph, sometimes extensive detailed ones) will keep us reading to the last page.
One of the survivors said something like: if I hated the Americans, I would have to hate her country as well.
These are not about the leaders of the war, who were in safety commanding this and that to happen without living agonizing months and years of consequences. These are true memories of those who were (in some cases) on their way to school...
Thank you, author, for taking the time and effort to do this the right way.
One of the survivors said something like: if I hated the Americans, I would have to hate her country as well.
These are not about the leaders of the war, who were in safety commanding this and that to happen without living agonizing months and years of consequences. These are true memories of those who were (in some cases) on their way to school...
Thank you, author, for taking the time and effort to do this the right way.
June 13, 2025
Nagasaki: The Last Witnesses (Embers Book 2)
I was fortunate enough to receive this book for free, and if you’re looking to understand what life was like for those on the ground the morning of August 9, 1945, this is the book for you. Like Hiroshima: The Last Witnesses (Embers Book 1), it transports you into the moment, making you feel as though you’re witnessing history firsthand.
The author’s writing is immersive and respectful—so much so that any personal bias is practically invisible until the epilogue. And yes, amidst all the gravity, there's even a surprisingly funny story involving cheese that offers a brief, human pause.
This book doesn't just recount a historical tragedy—it preserves the voices of those who lived through it.
I was fortunate enough to receive this book for free, and if you’re looking to understand what life was like for those on the ground the morning of August 9, 1945, this is the book for you. Like Hiroshima: The Last Witnesses (Embers Book 1), it transports you into the moment, making you feel as though you’re witnessing history firsthand.
The author’s writing is immersive and respectful—so much so that any personal bias is practically invisible until the epilogue. And yes, amidst all the gravity, there's even a surprisingly funny story involving cheese that offers a brief, human pause.
This book doesn't just recount a historical tragedy—it preserves the voices of those who lived through it.
June 27, 2025
Much like the first installation Hiroshima: The Last Witnesses this is an incredibly detailed look a the events leading up to the dropping of a nuclear bomb, this time at Nagasaki, and the devastating aftereffects. Again, there was this lingering dread as each page goes by because you know what's going to happen! But as little as I ended up knowing about Hiroshima (despite thinking I knew more) I knew even less about Nagasaki and that was a sobering realization. Excellently written.
Thank you to NetGalley and Dutton for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to NetGalley and Dutton for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
August 10, 2025
I received this book in a giveaway, and I was really looking forward to reading about the people who were in Nagasaki at the time of the bombing. I've studied and visited Hiroshima, but my knowledge of Nagasaki was lacking. That said...maybe this is too much information?
WAY too much of the book is an extremely detailed history of the country, backstories of the witnesses and machinations in the US leading to the event. The information is enlightening, but I think the title is misleading.
The reason I had this in my giveaways was the people and their stories. The actual "witness" stories are a small part of the book. Some background is needed, but this is research paper level.
WAY too much of the book is an extremely detailed history of the country, backstories of the witnesses and machinations in the US leading to the event. The information is enlightening, but I think the title is misleading.
The reason I had this in my giveaways was the people and their stories. The actual "witness" stories are a small part of the book. Some background is needed, but this is research paper level.
August 7, 2025
Won in a Goodreads giveaway.
The author does an excellent job weaving together narratives of events in the immediate lead up to the attack with broader Japanese history, as well as with the personal stories of survivors. The book shines in the pre-detonation sections, with perhaps too narrow of a focus for the remainder of the book. The stories of a select few survivors show the devastation wrought by the bomb.
Stands alone from the other volume in his series.
The author does an excellent job weaving together narratives of events in the immediate lead up to the attack with broader Japanese history, as well as with the personal stories of survivors. The book shines in the pre-detonation sections, with perhaps too narrow of a focus for the remainder of the book. The stories of a select few survivors show the devastation wrought by the bomb.
Stands alone from the other volume in his series.
August 17, 2025
I found a personal settlement with "Road to Surrender: Three Men and the Countdown to the End of World War II". 'Nagasaki' is a wonderful (if that is the right word) coda to it, in relating the human aspect 'on the ground' as it were, beyond the geopolitical 5-mile-up/10-years hence view. I wish Sheftall's 'Hiroshima' and this book would be required reading for everyone.
August 31, 2025
A very good description of the effects of the atomic bomb. The author introduces the lives of several persons and then follows them during and after the bombing. This is very good at personalizing the history.
August 26, 2025
interesting take on the second bomb. there were a few errors(not about the people interviewed)but things mentioned such as antibiotics to treat tb in the 1930's
August 31, 2025
This is the second book in the duology, and it presents a well-researched account of the horrific actions surrounding the US nuclear bombing of Nagasaki and, more importantly, the aftermath that followed. Although this was a difficult read, I highly recommend it to everyone.
Thank you to NetGalley and Dutton for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to NetGalley and Dutton for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
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