A Dimly Burning Wick

As the United States debates launching another war in the Middle East, this passionate diary paired with a pondered discussion provides a reality check on how governments goad citizens into going to war and gives a forthright look at the hideous results for civilian casualties. Who bears the responsibility for decisions made in a “democracy” when our leaders or the media exaggerate the threat and downplay the harm our actions will cause?. In this agonizing diary, a survivor of the 1945 atomic bombing of Hiroshima relates the horror of searching through smoldering rubble for signs of her family. She documents for the world the selfless compassion of the youngest victims. The children Okuda tried to save stunned her with their dignity and enduring will to help others and to hold their families together. She, and the children, generously insist on avoiding bitterness and blame. But as responsible citizens, we still have to face ourselves in the mirror. A thoughtful introduction and supporting essays provide this harrowing memoir with a context in history and social psychology.