The book follows a set of different everyday folks from differing economic and social constructs as they lived life in Hiroshima. It starts on the day the bomb dropped and follows them loosely through for an year. The aftermath of the bomb, its destructive power and its effects are horrifying. The change in the lives of the people, the delay in governmental support and the tenacity of the human spirit to live through is quite touching.  This account was published in the New Yorker magazine in 1946. 

The author went back after 40 years and added another chapter to his book. Its very interesting how the events of this day shaped the lives of the folks that John Hersey followed. Its a quick read but the content is sobering. Like the cover says - Read it!