Every April, LaGuardia hosts the testimonies of Hibakusha, survivors of the atomic bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. This year, Ms. Nobuko Sugino and Mr. Hideto Matsuura from Nihon Hidankyo shared their firsthand accounts of the atrocities of nuclear weapons during their testimonies. The Hibakusha and their delegates were visiting New York City to attend the United Nations’ Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) meetings in April-May 2026.

During the Q&A, it was suggested that we should put together a bibliography on the topic of A-bomb survivors for students and faculty who are interested in learning more about this topic. “Barefoot Gen” and “Black Rain” were introduced during the event, but there are many more published books about the A-bomb survivors and the aftermaths of A-bombs, including “Hiroshima Notes” by Kenzaburō Ōe, the 1994 Nobel Prize in Literature.

• Hiroshima
  • Author: John Hersey
  • Year: 1946
  • Language: Written in English
  • Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/Hiroshima-John-Hersey/dp/0593082362
  • Synopsis: Classic narrative journalism following six Hiroshima survivors before, during, and after the bombing.

  

• Nagasaki: Life After Nuclear War
  • Author: Susan Southard
  • Year: 2015
  • Language: Written in English
  • Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/Nagasaki-Life-After-Nuclear-War/dp/0143109421
  • Synopsis: Follows five Nagasaki survivors and the long physical, psychological, social, and political aftermath of the bombing.

  

• Barefoot Gen, Vol. 1: A Cartoon Story of Hiroshima
  • Author: Keiji Nakazawa
  • Year: 1973
  • Language: Translated from Japanese
  • Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/Barefoot-Gen-Vol-Cartoon-Hiroshima/dp/0867196025
  • Synopsis: Semi-autobiographical manga about a boy in wartime Hiroshima and the bombing’s aftermath.

  

• Black Rain
  • Author: Masuji Ibuse
  • Year: 1966
  • Language: Translated from Japanese
  • Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/Black-Rain-Japans-Modern-Writers/dp/1568364172
  • Synopsis: Literary novel based partly on survivor diaries and interviews, centered on a young woman exposed to radioactive black rain.

  

• The Bells of Nagasaki
  • Author: Takashi Nagai
  • Year: 1949
  • Language: Translated from Japanese
  • Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/Bells-Nagasaki-Takashi-Nagai/dp/1529952603
  • Synopsis: Memoir by a Catholic physician and radiologist who survived Nagasaki and wrote about suffering, faith, medicine, and reconstruction.

  

• Hiroshima Diary: The Journal of a Japanese Physician, August 6–September 30, 1945
  • Author: Michihiko Hachiya
  • Year: 1995
  • Language: Translated from Japanese
  • Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/Hiroshima-Diary-Japanese-Physician-6-September/dp/0807845477
  • Synopsis: Day-by-day diary by the director of Hiroshima Communications Hospital, written from inside the ruined city.

  

• Hiroshima Notes
  • Author: Kenzaburō Ōe
  • Year: 1965
  • Language: Translated from Japanese
  • Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/Hiroshima-Notes-Kenzaburo-Oe/dp/0802134645
  • Synopsis: Essays reflecting on Hiroshima, survivors, doctors, activists, and Japan’s moral responsibility after the bombing.

  

• Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes
  • Author: Eleanor Coerr
  • Year: 1977
  • Language: Written in English
  • Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/Sadako-Paper-Cranes-Eleanor-Coerr/dp/0698118022
  • Synopsis: Short story of Sadako Sasaki, who was exposed to Hiroshima radiation as a toddler and later developed leukemia.

  

• One Thousand Paper Cranes: The Story of Sadako and the Children’s Peace Statue
  • Author: Takayuki Ishii
  • Year: 1997
  • Language: Written in English
  • Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/One-Thousand-Paper-Cranes-Childrens/dp/0440228433
  • Synopsis: Documentary-style account of Sadako and the movement that led to the Children’s Peace Monument in Hiroshima.

  

• Sachiko: A Nagasaki Bomb Survivor’s Story
  • Author: Caren Stelson
  • Year: 2016
  • Language: Written in English from interviews
  • Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/Sachiko-Nagasaki-Bomb-Survivors-Story/dp/1467789038
  • Synopsis: Narrative nonfiction based on interviews with Sachiko Yasui, who survived Nagasaki at age six and lived with the aftermath for decades.

  

• The Last Cherry Blossom
  • Author: Kathleen Burkinshaw
  • Year: 2016
  • Language: Written in English
  • Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/Last-Cherry-Blossom-Kathleen-Burkinshaw/dp/1510753443
  • Synopsis: Historical novel inspired by the author’s mother’s experience as a Hiroshima survivor, told from a child’s point of view.

  

• A World Destroyed: Hiroshima and Its Legacies
  • Author: Martin J. Sherwin
  • Year: 1975
  • Language: Written in English
  • Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/World-Destroyed-Hiroshima-Its-Legacies/dp/0804739579
  • Synopsis: Scholarly history of the Manhattan Project, the decision to use the bomb, and early U.S. atomic diplomacy.

  

• Hiroshima Nagasaki: The Real Story of the Atomic Bombings and Their Aftermath
  • Author: Paul Ham
  • Year: 2011
  • Language: Written in English
  • Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/Hiroshima-Nagasaki-Atomic-Bombings-Aftermath/dp/1250047110
  • Synopsis: Broad narrative history covering the bombings, military and political decision-making, and civilian aftermath.