On August 9, 1945, an American B-29 dropped an atomic bomb on Nagasaki, Japan, killing tens of thousands of people in the blink of an eye, while fatally injuring and poisoning thousands more. Among the survivors was Takashi Nagai, a pioneer in x-ray research and a convert to the Catholic Faith. Living in the rubble of the ruined city and suffering from leukemia caused by over-exposure to radiation, Nagai lived out the remainder of his remarkable life by bringing physical and spiritual healing to his war-weary people.
A Song for Nagasaki tells the fascinating story of this extraordinary man, beginning with his boyhood and the heroic tales and stoic virtues of his family's Shinto religion. Mixed with interesting details about Japanese history and culture, the biography traces Nagai's spiritual quest as he studies medicine at Nagasaki University, serves as a medic with the Japanese army during its occupation of Manchuria, and returns to Nagasaki in order to dedicate himself to the science of radiology. The historic Catholic district of the city, where Nagai enters the Church and begins a family, ends up as ground zero for the atomic bomb.
An Australian Marist priest who served as a missionary in Japan for twenty-five years, author Fr. Paul Glynn read Nagai's books in the original Japanese. He knew well some of Nagai's relatives, as well as other survivors of the atomic bomb. For his work in Japan, including his efforts to bring about post-war reconciliation, Fr. Glynn was awarded the prestigious Order of Australia Medal.