Reviews

When 12-year-old Sasaki was diagnosed with leukemia in February 1955, she was just another hibakusha (nuclear weapon survivor) of Hiroshima, but after her death on October 25, 1955, she became a national symbol of the lingering horror of war. This first biography of Sasaki for adult readers tells the story of an ordinary girl and how her fellow students, teachers, and a few activists transformed her personal tragedy into a national campaign for peace. Nasu tenderly describes Sasaki and her ordeal, relaying technical information in nonscientific language, and also revealing the negative feelings of Sasaki's friends as they saw their impulsive desire to put up a memorial statue co-opted by adults and strangers. The translation of the 1984 Japanese publication is generally well done and readable. This book will appeal to a wide readership, especially those who remember Eleanor Coerr's biography for children, Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes (Putnam, 1977). Recommended for public libraries. (Photos not seen.)-- Katharine L. Kan, Aiea P.L., Hawaii