Nagasaki’s first hypocenter marker, in Japanese and English, October 1945, designating the spot on the ground above which the atomic bomb detonated. (Photograph by Hayashi Shigeo/Courtesy of Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum)

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I extend my deepest and most sincere gratitude to Do-oh Mineko, Nagano Etsuko, Taniguchi Sumiteru, Wada Koichi, and Yoshida Katsuji, the five hibakusha featured in Nagasaki, for their generosity of time, candor, and goodwill in telling me their atomic bomb experiences and key moments in their lives over the past seventy years. I also received openhearted assistance from their family members, who provided additional information about these survivors’ lives and offered me access to their personal writings and photographs: Okada Ikuyo (Do-oh’s sister); Wada Hisako (Wada’s wife); and Yoshida Naoji, Yoshida Tomoji, Yoshida Kenji, and Kanayama Kuniko (Yoshida’s elder son, younger son, younger brother, and cousin, respectively).

My profound thanks to other Nagasaki hibakusha who offered me their time and insight into their personal experiences and perspectives: Akizuki Sugako (Dr. Akizuki’s wife), Fukahori Yoshitoshi, Hamasaki Hitoshi, Hirose Masahito, Matsuzoe Hiroshi, Miyazaki Midori, Shimohira Sakue, Uchida Tsukasa, and one woman who asked that her name be withheld. I greatly appreciate Mitani Kazumi for introducing me to two hibakusha who had never told their stories outside of their personal circles of friends and family, and Nakamichi Keiko at St. Francis Hospital for arranging an inspiring meeting with Akizuki Sugako. Thank you to Sakato Toshihiro for guiding me through the campus of Shiroyama Elementary School, and to Sister Fusayo Tsutsumi at the Hill of Grace Nagasaki A-Bomb Home.

The written testimonies of hundreds of other Nagasaki hibakusha allowed me to expand my understanding of postnuclear survival. I deeply appreciate the commitment of editors, compilers, and English translators of these testimonies. Organizations that have spent decades gathering these testimonies and in many cases having them translated include the Nagasaki National Peace Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims, the Nagasaki Foundation for the Promotion of Peace, the Nagasaki Testimonial Society, the Nagasaki International Culture Hall, the Nagasaki Association for Hibakushas’ Medical Care, the Nagasaki Broadcasting Company, the Asahi Shimbun, and Nihon Hidankyo. Brian Burke-Gaffney and Geoff Neill provided superb translations of many of these testimonies. Brian Burke-Gaffney also gave me an insider’s look into fascinating aspects of Nagasaki’s history as we walked through the city.

In Nagasaki, I received many years of invaluable support from Matsuo Ranko, assistant section chief at the Nagasaki Foundation for the Promotion of Peace, who introduced me to Do-oh, Wada, Nagano, and Yoshida; helped coordinate my interview schedule during my trips to Nagasaki; and connected me with numerous atomic bomb specialists. I am privileged to also call her my friend. The directors and entire staff at the Nagasaki Foundation for the Promotion of Peace, especially Taira Mitsuyoshi and Mizushita Ayumi, also offered assistance in numerous areas of research and coordination.

My most sincere thanks to Fukahori Yoshitoshi, chairperson of the Committee for Research of Photographs and Materials of the Atomic Bombing, for giving me access to his large archive of photographs and for his immense support in acquiring photograph permissions from aging hibakusha and other sources beyond my reach. His volunteer staff also provided valuable help, especially Shirabe Hitomi. At the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum, Takagi Rumiko offered tireless research support in the early years of this  project, followed by Shiraishi Hitomi. Special thanks to photo archivist Okuno Shotaro for his valuable assistance in identifying and obtaining permissions for many of the photographs from the museum. Thank you, too, to Ito Sei at the Asahi Shimbun for his help in locating copies of 1945 editions of the newspaper and present-day feature articles on hibakusha.

Numerous atomic bomb physicians and specialists offered me their time and expertise, including Dr. Tomonaga Masao, director; Dr. Hideki Mori, vice president; and social worker Nakashima Seiji at the Japanese Red Cross Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Hospital. Dr. Kinoshita Hirohisa, in the Department of Neuropsychiatry at the Nagasaki University Hospital of Medicine and Dentistry, and Koshimoto Rika, clinical psychologist at Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, provided updated psychological research on hibakusha experiences. Dr. Akahoshi Masazumi, director of the Department of Clinical Studies at the Radiation Effects Research Foundation (RERF) in Nagasaki, provided both historical and current perspectives on RERF’s research. Thank you to Fukushima Masako, master file section, Epidemiology Department at RERF, for her assistance.

In the United States, I offer my deep gratitude to my agent, Richard Balkin, and my editor at Viking, Melanie Tortoroli, for their vision and dedication in ushering Nagasaki to publication. I would also like to thank Wendy Wolf, vice president and associate publisher at Viking, and my first editor there, Kevin Doughten, for their faith in the project from the start. Huge appreciation to production editor Bruce Giffords and copy editor Lavina Lee for their remarkable work through numerous drafts, and to the entire team at Viking. Thank you.

For grants that supported the book, I am grateful to the Arizona Commission on the Arts, the Bill Desmond Writing Award, the Fund for Investigative Journalism, the Money for Women/Barbara Deming Memorial Fund, Inc., and the National Philanthropic Trust. Thank you to the Norman Mailer Center for providing me a month of writing time in Provincetown, Massachusetts, in the company of wonderful writers of nonfiction, fiction, and poetry. Heartfelt appreciation to Joan Kahn and to the following individuals who offered financial support for the completion of the book when I had run out of funds: Alison Arnold, Deborah Bauer, Andrea Beckham, Ken Blackburn, Mary Brown, Anne Canright, Wayne and Carol Daily, Bonnie Eckard, Debbie Elman, Amber E. Espar, Eloise Klein Healy, Homeopathy Care LLC, Saskia Jorda, Anne Kellor, James Lattin, Michele Lawson, Janet Linder, Christopher Mogil, Judy and Dan Peitzmeyer-Rollings, Ralph and Darcy Phillips, Marilyn Pursley, Khadijah Queen, Donna Ruby, Dick and Shirley Southard, Ry Southard, David Spielvogel, Judy Starr, Wendy White, Kim Scott Ziegler, and two anonymous donors.

A special thanks to historian John W. Dower for his time, historical insights, and encouragement; Rachelle Linner for our conversations about many aspects of our writing projects on the lives of hibakusha; Paul Morris and Christopher Burawa for their early encouragement; and Dr. James Yamazaki for his kindness and engaging stories of Nagasaki in the late 1940s.

I have been fortunate to assemble a superb team to support my translation and research needs for Nagasaki. Immense thanks to the seven translators who spent thousands of hours helping me translate interviews, essays, articles, medical records, scientific studies, and correspondence. Led by the incomparable Mariko Sugawara Bragg, they are Yasuko Clark, Eiko Foster, Eriko Fujiyoshi, Sayako Fujii Head, Toshie Jones, and Akiko Wakao. Excellent administrative support was provided by Eva Black, Charlene Brown, Jeanne Callahan, Lorraine Ciavola, Shela Hidalgo, and Darcy Esch Phillips. Thank you to attorney Yuriko Kondo for her legal translations. For their reading and feedback on my book proposal and early drafts, I thank my former MFA mentor Valerie Boyd, Rebecca Godfrey, and fellow writers Anne Canright, Anne Liu Kellor, Khadijah Queen, and Christin Taylor. Many thanks, too, to Eva Black and Ken Blackburn for their careful reading and feedback on final drafts.

There are insufficient words to express my gratitude to project historian Robin LaVoie, M.A., who has worked side by side with me for eleven years. Robin located, analyzed, cross-referenced, and organized source materials; created detailed maps of Nagasaki to pinpoint locations significant to the survivors’ stories; provided immense help in the acquisition of photographic rights and preparation of the chapter notes and bibliography; and offered superb editorial insights. All the while, she was the best colleague imaginable. It is no exaggeration to say that this book would not exist without Robin’s immeasurable dedication and support.

To my sweet friends Charlene Brown and Judy Starr, thank you for your wisdom, constancy, strength, and love. To the Essential Theatre ensemble, past and present, my wholehearted appreciation for your ongoing exploration of listening and collaborative artistry in bringing our audiences’ stories to life.

Finally, to my family, whose patience, cheerleading, practical support, and love have exceeded anything I could have imagined: Gary and Sue Southard; my brothers, Ry Southard and Jonathan Southard; and my daughter, Eva Black, who accompanied me on my first research trip to Nagasaki when she was ten years old and grew up with this book. This book is for you.