A Story I Didn't Know, A Voice of Value

Growing up Jewish and attending Hebrew School six to eight hours per week from third grade through my senior year of high school, I started learning about the Holocaust from a young age. I remember presentations that included photos and film clips of men and women starved to the bone, crammed in sleeping shelves, wearing striped clothing or nearly nothing at all. We learned about Hitler and his quest to annihilate the Jews. As I grew older, outside of Hebrew school, I learned that the dictator's quest went beyond only Jews. The Holocaust, I learned, was only one major aspect of World War II.

History and Social Studies was not "my thing" in school. Yes, I passed my classes with A's and B's, but I retained little. The content was rarely presented in a way that seemed meaningful to me. So, I went through the motions of learning what I needed, when I needed it, and then letting it go.

When I came across the book, Sachiko: A Nagasaki Bomb Survivor's Story, my apparent naivete about history led me to say to myself, "I honestly didn't realize people survived the bombing of Nagasaki." Laugh if you will, or shake your head. I am sure I am not the only one who did not know this fact. Today, I value learning about history and other cultures as an important aspect of understanding each other in the present. Learning about history can help us to not repeat past failures, and to grow from these mistakes. We can learn from past successes and build off of them. We can learn from other cultures and gain ideas for trying something differently in our own life, or gain a different appreciation for what we have.

Sachiko: A Nagasaki Bomb Survivor's Story by Caren Stelson (c) 2016
Carolrhoda Books (Publisher)
National Book Award Longlist

"What happened to me, must never happen to you." ~Sachiko Yasui

I have heard a similar sentiment over the years from Holocaust survivors. It pains me to hear and read the stories shared. Caren Stelson felt that Sachiko's story needed to be told, and I believe she was right.

It has been a long time since a book, particularly a children's book, made me cry. The narrative of Sachiko on the fateful day she starts off by playing outside with friends, tore at my heart. The bomb falls and the intense heated wind rushes through. I could visualize the details described. Then, when Sachiko's uncle eventually rescues her from the dirt and rubble, they discover her deceased playmates and later family who survived, and family who died.

While Sachiko's family is forever changed, her parents do what they can to move forward--both physically and emotionally--despite Sachiko's siblings and other relatives dying over time from sicknesses related to radiation exposure. Sachiko's father inspires her with his words of how to see peace in the only world they live. He tells her about Gandhi and his philosophy of nonviolence and peace. Sachiko carries her father's words in her mind throughout her life.

The reader follows Sachiko as she encounters bullying related to her appearance and lack of knowledge when she begins school. The reader sees how Sachiko replays the final words of an older brother to "take care of everyone", how she fears she cannot, and how her mother works with her to write her name with a stick to help Sachiko believe she can achieve in school.

As Sachiko grows into an adult, she reflects on the teachings from her father.  She remembers and studies about Gandhi. She also finds inspiration in the words of Helen Keller, and later, Martin Luther King Jr.

Considering Martin Luther King Jr.'s words, "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter", and Gandhi's words, "You must be the change you wish to see in the world," Sachiko wonders how she can use her own voice to make a difference. Would there be a purpose for sharing her story? Until another tragedy touches Sachiko, she dismisses requests to speak publicly as a survivor.

On the 50th anniversary of the bombing of Nagasaki, Sachiko ends her silence and speaks at an elementary school. This begins her journey of sharing her story. And, thanks to Caren Stelson, Sachiko's story can be shared with all, even if we do not get the privilege of hearing Sachiko speak in person (which is what initially ignited Stelson's interest in learning more and ultimately writing Sachiko's story).

Stelson's research involved travel to Nagasaki over the course of five years to interview Sachiko in person. While the book mostly focuses on Sachiko's story, Stelson also intersperses additional historical facts, photos, and information to show the timeline of events, the political sides of events, the key leaders along with their roles as the events played out during the war, and more. Stelson writes with clear language, as if she is talking to a group of youth, and does not bog down the story with excessive amounts of dates, data, and facts.

Sachiko: A Nagasaki Bomb Survivor's Story is the most moving, heartbreaking, and hopeful work of children's nonfiction I have read in a long time. The book is geared for youth between 5th and 12th grades, but I believe there is definitely no upper age limit if you have an interest in learning history, but feel overwhelmed by the information written in books for adults. Reading nonfiction in books written for children and young adults makes history accessible and often more relatable. Stelson accomplished this in my view. I learned something, and believe I will retain it this time around.

Thank you for reading my musings, 
~Tamara