H I R O S H I M A :
RECOMMENDED BOOKS FOR STUDENTS
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by Doug Long
Below are some of the books you may find in your library that have particularly useful information on the atomic bombings of Japan. I've also included a few basic tips on writing a paper.
When writing papers it's usually a good idea to give footnotes that tell where you got your information. That way people can see that you didn't just make these things up, and they can go to your sources and get more information.
When you're reading about the atomic bombings, check to see what sources those writers used. This can help you find more information. Whether people agree with what I've written in my articles or not, I encourage them to check out the sources I've footnoted so they can think things through for themselves.
And check the index in the back of books for key words such as "atomic bomb" or "Hiroshima" or "Leo Szilard" or "Togo". This will help you find the topic you're looking for faster.
Finally, please don't plagiarize other people's work (i.e., copy from it and then say you wrote it). I know of one student who hurt his chances of getting into college because he plagiarized one of my articles. Teachers know about many of these sources, because students keep writing about them in their reports (and sometimes the teachers even study!). If you quote from a source, be sure to list the author's name, book or article title or web page address, and page number.
Good luck to you in your research. I hope to read your web page, article, or book someday. You'll be surprised at what you can do!
B O O K S :
- Gar Alperovitz, The Decision To Use the Atomic Bomb
- Kai Bird, Lawrence Lifschultz, editors, Hiroshima's Shadow: Writings on the Denial
of History and the Smithsonian Controversy [excellent collection of articles on
the a-bombings, including documents from WWII. Altho most of the articles weigh against the atomic bombings, it also contains the most famous article to defend the atomic bombings: Sec. of War Henry Stimson's 1947 article, The Decision To Use the Atomic Bomb]
- Lester Brooks, Behind Japan's Surrender
- Robert Butow, Japan's Decision to Surrender [tells what was going on in the Japanese government in 1945]
- Robert Ferrell, editor, Off the Record - the Private Papers of Harry S. Truman [President Truman's diary]
- Leslie Groves, Now It Can Be Told [Groves was the general in charge of the
Manhattan Project; he favored the atomic bombings of Japan]
- The Pacific War Research Society, The Day Man Lost: Hiroshima, 6 August 1945 [mostly about what was happening in Japan from 1941 thru 1945; written by Japanese scholars]
- The Pacific War Research Society, Japan's Longest Day [Japan's surrender; written by Japanese scholars]
- Richard Rhodes, The Making of the Atomic Bomb
- Martin Sherwin, A World Destroyed [how the a-bomb came to be built and used]
- Tsuyoshi Hasegawa, Racing the Enemy: Stalin, Truman, and the Surrender of Japan [Best recent book on the atomic bombings and the end of the Pacific War]
- John Toland, The Rising Sun [history of Japan in war from 1931 thru 1945]
- Harry Truman, Memoirs of Harry S. Truman, 1945, Year of Decisions, Vol. 1
- Peter Wyden, Day One: Before Hiroshima and After [for the beginner, this is the best book on the making and use of the atomic bomb]
- For a large bibliography see: Bibliography
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