Peace Quest: The Survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

Hiroshima and Nagasaki's survivors of atomic bombings have made it their mission to work for peace and nuclear disarmament, a quest they have pursued for 70 years even as they coped with health effects, grief and the rebuilding of their cities. Prize-winning Seattle journalist and Fulbright scholar Joe Copeland, who has interviewed survivors over nearly three decades, provides a compelling look at these remarkable people, their sense of purpose and their hopes, born out of tragic loss, for a better world. This first edition builds on his research at Hiroshima City University's Hiroshima Peace Institute under a Fulbright scholar research grant and his writings on his site, HiroshimaStories.com. Working with former Pulitzer Board member Joann Byrd as his editor, he vividly portrays the survivors' mission over time and in the context of today's events.

“In Japan they are known as hibakusha, or those that survived the atomic bomb attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In ‘Peace Quest,’ Seattle author and journalist Joe Copeland shapes their memories into stories that are both compelling and sometimes brutal in detail. After many visits to Japan, starting in 1986, Copeland found the survivors and recounts not only the day when their lives changed forever, but also their amazing messages of peace and pleas for "no more Nagasakis, no more Hiroshimas." These are stories that must be read. – Bob Wodnik, author of “Captured Honor: POW survival in the Philippines and Japan”

"In this riveting look back at the U.S. bombing of Hiroshima, Joe Copeland weaves the intrigue of wartime politics with the personal stories of those who survived the world's first and only nuclear bomb. The result is a rich tapestry of human tragedy, arrogance and hope. " – Mary Bruno, author of “An American River” and former editor-in-chief of Crosscut.com