Larry Miwa was born in Hawaii in 1931. His family moved to Hiroshima, where he lived from the age of two to fifteen. During the summer of 1945, while about to turn fourteen, Miwa and a group of students relocated to a village approximately twenty-five miles from Hiroshima to contribute to the Japanese war effort by continuing their education and helping the country increase its agricultural production. Miwa was given a student diary, which he kept from July 4 through September 10 of that year. His entries detail the hard work and absolute dedication the students and teachers displayed as they cleared land and planted crops. The country and the emperor were first in the minds of this group. This steadfast loyalty and nationalism bordered on fanaticism, and thoughts of the individual and/or family were looked upon with disappointment. Miwa's entry on August 6 mentions witnessing B-52s flying over. This date was when the first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. Miwa's diary mentions concern for family and a hatred of the enemy. The next day, Miwa writes about reports of his city being "burned to ashes by a bomb." The diary goes on to cover Miwa returning to Hiroshima and being overwhelmed by the destruction, as well as miraculously finding his family and the aftermath of the bomb.

Miwa, who later became a successful banker in Hawaii, rediscovered his diary sixty-three years after it was written and was encouraged and assisted by his son, Stephen, to have it translated and published. The diary is remarkable when considered both as an example of the military nationalism gripping Japan at the time and in its relation to arguably the most famous World War II diary, The Diary of Anne Frank. Frank's diary began when she was thirteen and continued until she was fifteen, ending three days before the Gestapo found her family. Her life would end in a concentration camp. Miwa received his diary the day before he turned fourteen, and he recorded one of the most horrendous single attacks in human history. These two young teens experienced loss and tragedy in ways no one ever should, yet they were on opposite sides of the war, a fact that underscores the universality of suffering during wartime. Both diaries are outstanding historical artifacts. They shed light on the personal struggles of individuals, especially the young, and offer insight into the social and cultural context of these two children from different backgrounds during the same significant global event. Miwa's entries are likely a little more reserved as he knew they would be read by his teacher, but his passion for his nation and emperor is clearly displayed, as seen in the kamikaze quote above.

Also included in this book are pictures of Miwa as he begins to publicly acknowledge and speak about his Hiroshima survival, illustrations of Hiroshima before the blast, and information about Miwa's quest for peace and the eradication of atomic and nuclear weapons. In addition, the original Japanese text of the diary is presented. The translated text is clear, precise, and a powerful to read. This book is likely to appeal to anyone interested in history, World War II, and/or the psychology of nationalism.

A 2025 Eric Hoffer Book Award Category Finalist

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