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https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2012/12/26/national/barefoot-gen-author-dead-at-73/
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2012/12/26/national/barefoot-gen-author-dead-at-73/
www.amazon.com/Barefoot-Gen
Background info - Barefoot Gen
Background info - Barefoot Gen
Barefoot Gen by Keiji Nakazawa is a graphic novel that takes place in Japan during the later period of WWII. It is about a boy named 'Gen' and his family, and their life in Hiroshima. They are a poor family, and with most supplies being taken for the war effort, they struggle to survive. Because of this, Gen's father is openly against the war, claiming that it was created by the rich and it only hurts the poor. As a result of this, he, along with his entire family, are branded as traitors. Consequently, he is taken and beaten in prison, his children are mistreated in school, and they struggle to find help from anyone who doesn't look at them as traitors.
Author Bio - Keiji Nakazawa
Author Bio - Keiji Nakazawa
Keiji Nakazawa was born in Hiroshima, Japan on March 14, 1939. He was in Hiroshima when the atomic bomb was dropped, and most of his family was killed aside from his mother and infant sister. He said that while he himself isn't Gen, "Barefoot Gen" is a story of his own experience with the bombing. In 1961, Nakazawa moved to Tokyo and became a full time cartoonist, and was also a manga artist. He began to write about Hiroshima in 1966, after his mother died, creating pieces like "Struck by Black Rain", "I Saw It", and his most famous work "Barefoot Gen". In 2009, Nakazawa retired, and was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2010. He later passed on December 9, 2012.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keiji_Nakazawa
What was Happening in Japan?
What was Happening in Japan?
In 1939, World War II broke out in Europe. This caused chaos around the world including the United States of America and Japan. The United States began the construction of an atomic bomb after "having been warned that Nazi Germany was conducting research into nuclear weapons". While Germany had already surrendered when the bomb was created, tensions still upheld between America and Japan. The majority of Japan held a lot of pride for their country and would not surrender. This led the United States to start the Manhattan project, whose goal was to create atomic bombs that would end the war. As a result, the United States bombed Japan, resulting in thousands casualties.
https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/bombing-of-hiroshima-and-nagasaki
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-pacific-15219730
PRoject Abstract
PRoject Abstract
People remember the stories of war in many different ways. Sculptures, books and museums are all examples of memorials, but we decided that we wanted to create a podcast to honor and show the effects that the bombing of Hiroshima had on the lives of Gen's family and real life survivors. This podcast will reveal the truth of people's experiences and will incorporate the stories of Gen's family. Historical context and background information on Hiroshima in 1945 is provided to ensure that everyone understands the reality of the situation in Japan and so that we can remember and learn from their experiences.
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Listen To Our podcast
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Join Our Zoom ROom
Student reflections
Student reflections
Caroline Ross
Barefoot Gen is a graphic novel that has taught me a lot about what it means to have lived in Japan during WWII. Before reading, I had little knowledge about what was truly happening in Hiroshima due to the fact that I was receiving my information from an American perspective. This novel opened my eyes and taught me about the war in ways which I would never have imagined such as how people suffered from hunger and how they were ostracized for not supporting the war. I'm thankful that I got the opportunity to read this book so that I can now be knowledgable about this topic. I would recommend that everyone find the time to read this graphic novel to learn more about Gen's incredible story and to learn more about the happenings of Hiroshima during WWII.
Koy Price
The graphic novel Barefoot Gen by Keiji Nakazawa offered me a new insight into the events of World War II. It was fascinating to see the events play out from the Japanese perspective, as I was always taught from the American mindset. In all of my studies, I’ve never once stopped to consider the Japanese people’s stories and the struggles that people like Gen and his family faced. I thought it was really interesting how Gen and his family were against the war in its entirety, and showed how they were completely ostracized from their village and community. This graphic novel helped me realize that the Japanese people were struggling before and after dropping the atomic bomb and are not so different from Americans.
Jack Conti
I really enjoyed reading this graphic novel. Rarely do we ever read things from the perspective of the Japanese during WWII, which is one of the reasons why this was such a great read. Something I enjoyed in particular while reading was that the author chose to include the bombing in the end of the story, so the characters could become more personal with the reader. This truly worked for me, as I was devastated by their losses in the end of the story. Out of all the books our class has read this year, this one has been my favorite.
Will Thomas
The novel Barefoot Gen has given me a new perspective on WWII. Growing up, all that we learn is the American side of the story, and how we reacted to the actions of other nations. After reading this novel, we realized that some of the Japanese people were the same as some Americans: against the war and all for peace. It was hard to read through this story, get to know the characters, and then have to watch them go through the bombing. They also had to go through lots of hardships before the bomb, like hunger and a lack of freedoms, primarily their freedom of speech. This novel is a great way to learn more about WWII, and gain a very interesting and new perspective.
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