Sachiko: a Nagasaki Bomb Survivor's Story
This striking work of narrative nonfiction tells the true story of six-year-old Sachiko Yasui’s survival of the Nagasaki atomic bomb on August 9, 1945, and the heartbreaking and lifelong aftermath. Having conducted extensive interviews with Sachiko Yasui, Caren Stelson chronicles Sachiko’s long journey toward peace. This special book offers readers a remarkable new perspective on the final moments of World War II, the fifty years that followed, and the courage it took for one woman to tell her story of nuclear war and peace.
Stelson will give a talk about the complicated history surrounding the end of WWII, and her process of meeting with Sachiko to document her life 60 years later. She will also appear at Lanterns for Peace, Wednesday August 9th atTenney Park, 6:00 p.m.
Readers of all ages are encouraged to attend, from middle school fans of the "I Survived" book series to social studies educators and adults who themselves remember the end of World War II. Sachiko is the winner of the 2017 Jane Addams Children's Book Award for Older Children in recognition of its literary and aesthetic excellence and for engaging children in thinking about peace, social justice, global community, and equity for all people. The Madison chapter of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom is pleased to present two sets of the 2017 Jane Addams Children's Award and Honor books to the Madison Public Library as part of this event. Special thanks to the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom and to Physicians for Social Responsibility for co-sponsoring this event.
Caren Stelson
Caren Stelson is the author of Sachiko: A Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Survivor’s Story and other works for children and young adults. To write Sachiko, Caren traveled to Nagasaki five times to interview Sachiko Yasui and research her story. Caren has had a long career in education, as a teacher, writer-in-residence and freelance writer. After receiving her MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults at Hamline University in 2009, Caren decided it was time to write the stories that needed her attention. Caren and her husband Kim have two grown children. They split their time between home in Minneapolis and the small town of Lanesboro.