The Hiroshima Men
The Quest to Build the Atomic Bomb and the Fateful Decision to Use It
Published on 5. June 2025
Book
Hardback
448 pages
978-1-4087-1950-3 (ISBN)
Description
'Really outstanding' Jonathan Dimbleby
'Extraordinary and utterly absorbing' Patrick Bishop
'Wonderful material' Saul David
'Profoundly thought-provoking' James Holland
'Impeccably researched' Spectator
At 8:15 a.m. on August 6th, 1945, the Japanese port city of Hiroshima was struck by the world's first atomic bomb. Built in the US by the top-secret Manhattan Project and delivered by a B-29 Superfortress, a revolutionary long-range bomber, the weapon destroyed large swaths of the city, instantly killing tens of thousands. The world would never be the same again.
The Hiroshima Men's unique narrative recounts the decade-long journey towards this first atomic attack. It charts the race for nuclear technology before, and during the Second World War, as the allies fought the axis powers in Europe, North Africa, China, and across the vastness of the Pacific, and is seen through the experiences of several key characters: General Leslie Groves, leader of the Manhattan Project alongside Robert Oppenheimer; pioneering Army Air Force bomber pilot Colonel Paul Tibbets II; the mayor of Hiroshima, Senkichi Awaya, who would die alongside over eighty-thousand of his fellow citizens; and Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist John Hersey, who travelled to post-war Japan to expose the devastation the bomb had inflicted upon the city, and in a historic New Yorker article, described in unflinching detail the dangers posed by its deadly after-effect, radiation poisoning.
This thrilling account takes the reader from the corridors of the White House to the laboratories and test sites of New Mexico; from the air war above Nazi Germany and the savage reconquest of the Pacific to the deadly firebombing air raids across the Japanese Home Islands. The Hiroshima Men also includes Japanese perspectives - a vital aspect often missing from Western narratives - to complete MacGregor's nuanced, deeply human account of the bombing's meaning and aftermath.
'Extraordinary and utterly absorbing' Patrick Bishop
'Wonderful material' Saul David
'Profoundly thought-provoking' James Holland
'Impeccably researched' Spectator
At 8:15 a.m. on August 6th, 1945, the Japanese port city of Hiroshima was struck by the world's first atomic bomb. Built in the US by the top-secret Manhattan Project and delivered by a B-29 Superfortress, a revolutionary long-range bomber, the weapon destroyed large swaths of the city, instantly killing tens of thousands. The world would never be the same again.
The Hiroshima Men's unique narrative recounts the decade-long journey towards this first atomic attack. It charts the race for nuclear technology before, and during the Second World War, as the allies fought the axis powers in Europe, North Africa, China, and across the vastness of the Pacific, and is seen through the experiences of several key characters: General Leslie Groves, leader of the Manhattan Project alongside Robert Oppenheimer; pioneering Army Air Force bomber pilot Colonel Paul Tibbets II; the mayor of Hiroshima, Senkichi Awaya, who would die alongside over eighty-thousand of his fellow citizens; and Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist John Hersey, who travelled to post-war Japan to expose the devastation the bomb had inflicted upon the city, and in a historic New Yorker article, described in unflinching detail the dangers posed by its deadly after-effect, radiation poisoning.
This thrilling account takes the reader from the corridors of the White House to the laboratories and test sites of New Mexico; from the air war above Nazi Germany and the savage reconquest of the Pacific to the deadly firebombing air raids across the Japanese Home Islands. The Hiroshima Men also includes Japanese perspectives - a vital aspect often missing from Western narratives - to complete MacGregor's nuanced, deeply human account of the bombing's meaning and aftermath.
Reviews / Votes
I can think of no more important book for our time. Written with moral clarity, tremendous verve, and the ability of a truly great historian to render the immensity of a moment through the smaller voices as well as being faithful to the facts. I recommend this magisterial, haunting book to all generations -- <b>Fergal Keane, award-winning BBC foreign correspondent and author of <i>Road of Bones: The Siege of Kohima 1944</i></b> Iain Macgregor's compelling account impresses in many ways. Unheralded individuals take centre stage. Vividly drawn characters spring to life. But it is his expertly managed juxtaposition of science, strategy and visceral horror that stands out -- <b>Joshua Levine, <i>New York Times</i> bestselling author of <i>Dunkirk</i></b> The nuclear destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki was one of the most iconic moments of the twentieth century. Yet little has been written about the individuals whose actions led to Japan's unconditional surrender. Iain MacGregor's The Hiroshima Men is epic in scale yet intimate in detail, its pages filled with mavericks and geniuses who forever changed our world. A meticulously researched and compellingly written tour-de-force -- <b>Giles Milton, author of <i>The Stalin Affair</i></b> The Hiroshima Men is a brilliant, superbly researched story of genius and terrifying destruction -- <b>Alex Kershaw, <i>New York Times</i> bestselling author of <i>Against All Odds: a True Story of Ultimate Courage and Survival In World War II</i></b> The atomic bombing that obliterated Hiroshima has not lacked for attention from historians and other writers. But Iain MaGregor's gripping book vastly expands the cast of characters: politicians and scientists in Japan and the United States; military men on both sides, from generals to pilots and air crews; victims on the ground both dead and alive; writers and journalists covering the story - all portrayed vividly as the story dramatically unfolds -- <b>William Taubman</b> Once again, MacGregor weaves together a wide range of sources to create a gripping, moving and frequently surprising narrative, this time of how World War II ended in human-created apocalypse, and a new era began with a mix of hope and horror that still characterizes our lives eight decades later -- <b>Frederick Taylor, author of <i>Dresden: Tuesday 13 February, 1945</i></b> A meticulously researched and profoundly thought-provoking account of one of history's most consequential events . . . More than just a work of history, this is also a sobering meditation on war, science and morality. Superb -- <b>James Holland</b> The Hiroshima Men is a searing and humane reckoning with the human cost of atomic warfare, blending meticulous history with unflinching moral clarity -- <b>Philip W Blood, author of <i>War Comes to Aachen: The Nazis, Churchill and the 'Stalingrad of the West'</i></b> Really outstanding -- <b>Jonathan Dimbleby</b> By profiling some key players, MacGregor pulls readers into their personal stories with visually enticing description and lively dialogue * AP News * Iain MacGregor's impeccably researched account of the first use of nuclear weapons in war is a timely reminder of the horrors they unleash on the world * Spectator * An extraordinary and utterly absorbing blend of the historical, the scientific and the human. MacGregor has made us see a terrible event with different eyes. A real achievement -- Patrick Bishop This well-rounded and harrowing history of the road to using the first atomic bomb in anger, and its aftermath, first follows scientists tentatively assembling their knowledge. A laudable and fascinating aspect of this polished author's research was his visit to Hiroshima, to view its archives and interview survivors. Along the way, we learn that conventional B-29 fire-bombing raids caused more deaths than atomic weapons. * Critic *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Little, Brown Book Group
Product notice
Trade binding
Illustrations
2 x 8pp (Colour and b&w)/35 images
Dimensions
Height: 236 mm
Width: 159 mm
Thickness: 40 mm
Weight
704 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4087-1950-3 (9781408719503)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Iain MacGregor
The Hiroshima Men
The Quest to Build the Atomic Bomb and the Fateful Decision to Use It
E-Book
06/2025
Constable
€3.99
Available for download
Person
Iain MacGregor is the author of the acclaimed history of Cold War Berlin: Checkpoint Charlie, and the award-winning The Lighthouse of Stalingrad: The Hidden Truth Behind WWII's Greatest Battle. He is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, has spoken at many literary festivals and conferences in the UK and abroad, appeared on podcasts such as The Rest is History and on television documentaries. His writing has appeared in the Washington Post, the Spectator, BBC History Magazine, and the Guardian. He lives in London.