Shigeko sasamori son

Hiroshima A-bomb survivor

Shigeko Sasamori san was 13 years-old when the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. Hearing the sound of a plane, she looked up to see a B-29 flying overhead — seconds later she was knocked unconscious by the blast. When she came to, she was so badly burned that she was unrecognizable. Shigeko repeated her name and address over and over until she was finally found by her father. Years later she would travel to the United States in 1955 as part of a group of young women known as the Hiroshima Maidens. While in New York, she underwent numerous plastic surgery operations and met her adoptive father, Dr. Norman Cousins. Her story is featured in Steven Okazaki’s award winning film White Light Black Rain.

Here are some links to learn more about the life and work of Shigeko Sasamori:

Hiroshima Maidens by Norman Cousins

Memoirs of an Atomic Bomb Survivor: Shigeko Sasamori

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For filmed testimony visit the video page of our website.

MIDDLETOWN, Pa. — Shigeko Sasamori, a Hiroshima atomic bomb survivor, will speak at noon Nov. 14, in the Mukund S. Kulkarni Theatre in the Student Enrichment Center on campus. She will be joined by Clifton Truman Daniel, grandson of former U.S. President Harry Truman, to present "Tales of a Hiroshima Maiden: Navigating Peace with Shigeko Sasamori and Clifton Truman." The event is free and open to the public.

Sasamori will share her first-hand account as an atomic bomb survivor and she and Truman will discuss effects of nuclear warfare, peace and nonviolence.

On Aug. 6, 1945, Sasamori survived the atomic bomb dropping on Hiroshima, Japan. She was only 13 years old, and two miles away from the hypocenter. Her face, chest, arms, hands and neck suffered severe trauma, and more than 25% of her body was burned.

In 1955, Norman Cousins, American journalist and peace activist, brought a group of 25 victims of the atomic bomb attack to America for reconstructive surgery. These girls were referred to as the “Hiro

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