Hiroshima

John Hersey's uncompromising account of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, Japan by U.S. forces during the closing days of World War II (1939-1945) was originally featured in The New Yorker magazine in August 1946, one year after Japan's unconditional surrender to the Allied powers. Hersey based his story on interviews he conducted with six survivors of the blast in days and weeks after the detonation. It caused a national sensation when first published and is today widely considered one of the finest pieces of journalism of the 20th century. It was later reissued in book form. In a series of boldly articulated full-page color screenprints, Jacob Lawrence captures the vivid impressions and intense emotions of Hersey's account. Lawrence envisions the victim's reaction to the moment of the noiseless flash of the blast on August 6, 1945, their imminent death presaged by the skeleton-like appearance of their bodies.