Barefoot Gen, Volume One by Keiji Nakazawa

What follows is a night-marish journey into the unimaginable horrors of atomic war and the struggle to survive in a place that has been destroyed by the most devastating device ever conceived by man. Pulling his pregnant mother to safety, Gen watches as the rest of his family are burnt alive. When Gen reaches home he finds that his house has collapsed, trapping his father, brother and sister in the wreckage. As Gen runs home to find his family, he sees victims of the bomb blast staggering around shocked and helpless in the rubble, their skin burnt and melting. Others are not so lucky and are burned to death instantly by the 5000 degree heat flash.

Fortunately when the bomb detonates, Gen is shielded by a stone wall. Opening in the rundown city of Hiroshima, we witness the events leading up to the bombing through the eyes of Gen, a young boy growing up in post-war Japan. In the lesson, Haiku and Hiroshima: Teaching About the Atomic Bomb, Wayne Au describes how he introduces the film to high school students and how he follows up with haiku written by survivors of the bombings and students’ own writing. Both the comic strip and the feature film oppose the Japanese government’s actions during World War II and include criticism of the intense poverty and suffering forced onto the Japanese people by their government’s war effort. Barefoot Gen: A Cartoon Story of Hiroshima Volume One By Keiji Nakazawa Published by Last Gasp of San Francisco 777 Florida Street, San Francisco. It is based on the critically acclaimed, semi-autobiographical Japanese comic book series Hadashi no Gen, by Keiji Nakazawa. The story chronicles their struggles as they try to rebuild their lives from the bomb’s ashes. Barefoot Gen is one of them.īarefoot Gen, a Japanese animated feature film, tells the story of Gen (pronounced with a hard “G”), a young boy who, along with his mother, survives the bombing of Hiroshima. Dimensions: 8.20in - 6.00in - 1.40in - 1.As teachers know, some classroom materials invariably work, no matter the group of students.By keeping this tragedy in our collective consciousness, we can strive to never repeat it and guide humanity towards a course of peace.īarefoot Gen Volume One -A Cartoon Story of Hiroshima - details the events leading up to and immediately following the atomic bombing of Hiroshima Book Details It is vital reading for people of all ages, and especially for today's youth. Nakazawa's manga illustrates the true impact of nuclear weapons when used against a civilian population. The honest portrayal of emotions and experiences speaks to children and adults everywhere. Beautiful new hardcover edition of Barefoot Gen Volume One! Striking new design with special sturdy binding.īarefoot Gen is the powerful, tragic, autobiographical story of the bombing of Hiroshima and its aftermath, seen through the eyes of the artist as a young boy growing up in Japan.

Barefoot Gen, Volume One by Keiji Nakazawa