Posted By: Barbara McElderry
Posted On: January 15, 2019
The delicacy of the cosmos flower calls to mind the increased fragility and preciousness of life after the bombing of Hiroshima. Sprouting from the bombed debris, the flower symbolizes resilience.
Written from a child’s perspective, Running with Cosmos Flowers amalgamates the stories of survivors interviewed by Shizumi, one of the authors, who was born in Hiroshima several years after World War II. Descriptive passages of both losses and love transmit an intimate snapshot of Japanese character and values. Carefully researched and with some archival photos and drawings, the book includes many non-fictional accounts. For example, the story’s inclusion of references to the Atomic Bomb Casualty Center, mention of interactions with the American soldiers in the compound, specific hibakushas’ experiences, and the gifts from a Washington, D.C. church. While the book’s topic is heavy, relating horrible things, in it there is acknowledgement of good will efforts on the part of the U.S. and of the appreciation and hope for peace on the part of the Japanese.
Running with Cosmos Flowers could be introduced to 7th or 8th grade students, but I put it on the 10th grade reading list because students their study of World History gave them sufficient historical background for full appreciation of the book’s content.
Supplementing the book, Shizumi also produced an award-winning documentary film Pictures from a Hiroshima Schoolyard about Hiroshima’s children’s drawings sent to All Soul’s Unitarian Church in Washington, D.C. The film is available on Amazon.