A Dimly Burning Wick

As the United States debates launching another war, this passionate diary paired with a pondered discussion provides a reality check on how governments goad citizens into going to war and gives a forthright look at the hideous results in civilian casualties. Who bears the responsibility for decisions made in a “democracy” when our leaders or the media exaggerate the threat and downplay the harm our actions will cause? In this agonizing diary, a survivor of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima relates the horror of searching through smoldering rubble for signs of her family. A thoughtful introduction and supporting essays by experts provide this harrowing memoir with a context in history and social psychology.