Hiroshima Atomic Bomb Memorial Day

劇中でバービーが読んでいるのは、原爆による被爆体験を元に描いた中沢啓治の漫画「はだしのゲン」です。80年代、帰国子女だった私が初めて日本の図書館で読んだ時は、米国で私が受けた歴史教育とあまりに違った内容、悲痛さ、過激な内容や残虐な描写に震え上がりました。祖父母の家まで走って帰り、好きでもない小豆のアイスをむさぼって恐怖心から逃れようとした日本の夏を愛おしく思います。

In the story, Barbie is reading Keiji Nakazawa's manga "Barefoot Gen," based on experiences from the Hiroshima atomic bombing. When I first read it in a Japanese library as a returnee in the '80s, I was shocked by how different it was from the history I learned in the US. The sadness, intensity, and brutal scenes were overwhelming. I remember running to my grandparents' house and trying to escape the fear by eating red bean ice cream, which I didn't even like. That Japanese summer still holds a special place in my heart.

#peace #広島原爆の日 #hiroshima #hiroshimapeacememorial #atomicbombmemorial #neveragain #はだしのゲン #barefootgen #hadashinogen #terunoji