When I decided to review this book, I did to remember one the most horrible events in the History of the world: the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. A cruel history, really, a story that everyone wants to forget forever and that none should never forget. For this reason, I chose to review Decision at Nagasaki: The mission that almost failed, the biography written by Frederick J Olivi, simply known as Fred Olivi. The pilot was a member of the crew of the Bock’s Car, the US army air force B29 that on August, 9, 1945, dropped the atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Nagasaki, just three days later the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.
Fred Olivi was born in Chigago in 1921. He was the son of Catholic Italian immigrants. Since his youth, he dreamed to work as a pilot and for this purpose he enlisted in the US air force. Maybe Fred was not aware about what was about to happen during these horrible moments, maybe… In his biographical book, written only in 1995, when he was free to reveal the military secrets about the bombing in Japan, Olivi created an upsetting account of the mission to bomb Nagasaki.
He tells about his feelings about the mission and his opinion, while the historical account is detailed better in the history books. Anyway, this biography is an important historical document to understand the feelings and emotions of the pilot who witnessed the atomic bombing. Several times Olivi was asked if he was repented of this attack on Nagasaki, according his affirmations, Olivi never repented for dropping the atomic bomb, claiming that this military action shortened the duration of the war.
I disagree with this opinion because, even though the atomic bombing was planned to punish the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, the consequences of the atomic radiations continued over the years, killing many other innocent people. About 70000 people died during the attack in Nagasaki and another 70000 died after 1945 and in the following years. Reading this biography, readers will remember what happened exactly in Nagasaki.
In reality, the city which was planned to be bombed was Kokura, but because of weather troubles and the scarce visibility to detect the target of the air military raid, the American pilots headed to another target, that was just Nagasaki. After dropping the plutonium bomb, a blue light invaded the sky over Nagasaki, after a while, a smoke cloud, or rather, an enormous smoke mushroom arose in the city, killing men, women and children, while buildings crumbled to the ground and anywhere you could see only destruction, cries and deaths.
Those who survived the atomic raid, were forced to struggle for their entire life with the awful radiation effects: skin cancer, early death, unhealed wounds and deformity. I don’t desire you read this biography for pleasure but only to pray for all victims of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and to plead Our Lord that a similar and horrible war never happens again! Every person must pray and hope to live in peace, here is because it is so important to know about the history of the second world war, because only awareness prevents any kind of war and cruelty.
Rosalba Mancuso is the journalist, born in Sicily, who founded three online magazines in English. On Advicebooks Book Reviews, Rosalba shows her great passion for books, helping readers and book lovers choose and buy the best books she read and reviewed. She also worked as a contributor to print and online magazines and as a bilingual Italian-English writer. Here, Rosalba also offers room to authors and publishers who want to get their books reviewed through the voice of an avid reader like her. You must also know that this book review magazine lives thanks to your help. Rosalba, in fact, earns a small commission, with no cost for you, when you buy books through the affiliate links you find in her book reviews. This book review magazine is also funded by services of editorial reviews and book press releases.
