Reviews for Folding Paper Cranes: An Atomic Memoir

The average rating for Folding Paper Cranes: An Atomic Memoir based on 2 reviews is 4.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2013-12-25 00:00:00 Rachelle Dodson This is such a powerful book that, at times, I felt a bit stunned by it. Leonard Bird uses poetry and prose to describe his experiences as a Marine Sergeant, marching through radioactive dust in one of the military's nuclear tests, and his three trips to the Hiroshima Peace Park as he tries to come to terms with the horror of nuclear weapons. Even as his own health has suffered from the long-term effects of radiation exposure (including bone cancer), he struggles to find understanding and hope for the future. He writes with such eloquence, humility and compassion that this slender work is much more than a deluge of sorrow; although it is, in parts, very sad. So much has been written about topics of war and devastation that it is easy to become numb to these themes--let's think about something happier instead. Something about this book rips right through any such postmodern ennui. People often talk about praying for peace. This book is such a prayer. Recommended for everybody. Also, it would be a good companion piece to Refuge by Terry Tempest Williams, another book I love.

Review # 2 was written on 2014-05-09 00:00:00 Martin Hanson First of all, atrocious cover. Second, fantastic book.