Rain of Ruin: Tokyo, Hiroshima, and the Surrender of Japan

Rain of Ruin: Tokyo, Hiroshima, and the Surrender of Japan by Richard Overy

The United States is unapologetic in the use of the atomic bomb at the end of World War II. It is believed that the bomb saved half a million American lives - more than the Japanese lives lost in the explosions. We often second guess the use today. However, the important question to ask is why did America of the time choose to drop the bomb? Americans were tired of the war. Germany had surrendered and Americans wanted to go home. However, Japanese kept fighting what seemed to be a losing cause. The American public now saw Japanese as less than human and wanted to do whatever it took to end the war as soon as possible. The atomic bomb seemed like a great solution. 

The firebombing of Tokyo was the most destructive conventional bombing in history. More people were immediately killed in this bombing than immediately by either of the atomic bombs. The Japanese initially dismissed the atomic bombs as just another big bomb. It is uncertain whether this bombing changed the timeline of the Japanese surrender. However, they did finally surrender not long after the bombing, leading to a cause and effect alignment in the minds of Americans.

This book is an interesting exploration of the bombing that looks at it from the lens of 1945 America while tying in modern knowledge of the Japanese mentality. It does a good job of exploring how people felt and why things were done as they were.