Elementary School under the Huge Waves
by (english) Richard Lloyd Parry
About This Novel
When the surface cracks and seawater pours in, the world becomes a veritable hell. This is a tragedy that should never have happened, and a heartbreaking story that tears apart the delicate facade of Japanese society. Winner of the Forio Literary Award, "a future classic in disaster news writing" (reviewed by The Guardian) On March 11, 2011, a 9.0-Magnitude earthquake occurred in Japan, triggering a huge tsunami and a nuclear leak. It was the most severe disaster Japan has faced since World War II. When an earthquake occurs, schools are the safest places in Japan. They have solid teaching buildings, meticulous drills, accurate and timely warnings, and a complete disaster prevention system that gives people confidence in the school. But on March 11, almost all the teachers and students of Dachuan Elementary School were killed. The tragedy could have been avoided, but only because of trivial omissions, 84 teachers and students were buried under the huge waves, and the strict system and order became a monster that devoured lives. British journalist Parry spent six years following the investigation to restore the entire process of this heartbreaking disaster and unearthed the fatal flaw hidden under Japan's orderly appearance - the tsunami was not the problem, Japan itself was the problem. Once something unfortunate happens, the first reaction of some societies is to cover up the truth. For such societies, "Elementary School Under the Big Wave" is a thought-provoking lesson. You won't read a better nonfiction story this year than this one. --The Economist
What Readers Think
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Official(4)Scraped 8d ago
This is my sixth year in Japan Regarding the author's analysis of the current situation of Japanese society There is a deep consensus that they will not be flexible and stick to the rules. The images of those dead children playing happily in school seemed to appear in front of me, and they were a little younger than me. If there is one person who is brave enough to make the decision, let's escape up the mountain. If they could stop being like this and adapt, then the child wouldn't have to die. In the past, I always complained about the rigidity of the Japanese people and the stupidity of the Japanese government. But I never thought that the bloody reality caused by these things would really be before my eyes. Those little children said to the teacher, let's go up the mountain, we will all die if we stay here. How scared I must be when I do that. I want to hug them so much, I want to save them so much. But all this has become history.
What was "I" doing on March 11, 2011? "I" was accompanying my wife for a prenatal check-up, and that day was also the first time "I" saw my son's face. We are very excited about this new life.
On March 11, 2011, two disasters struck northeastern Japan. We don't know how many families and children were destroyed by these two disasters. Because of these two disasters, many people left their homes and fled their hometowns.
"I" have a happy family, a beautiful and virtuous wife, and a lovely toddler daughter. There is a new life in my wife's belly. If I read correctly, this new life should be a cute little handsome boy.
Rating
Community(0)
Official(4)Scraped 8d ago
This is my sixth year in Japan Regarding the author's analysis of the current situation of Japanese society There is a deep consensus that they will not be flexible and stick to the rules. The images of those dead children playing happily in school seemed to appear in front of me, and they were a little younger than me. If there is one person who is brave enough to make the decision, let's escape up the mountain. If they could stop being like this and adapt, then the child wouldn't have to die. In the past, I always complained about the rigidity of the Japanese people and the stupidity of the Japanese government. But I never thought that the bloody reality caused by these things would really be before my eyes. Those little children said to the teacher, let's go up the mountain, we will all die if we stay here. How scared I must be when I do that. I want to hug them so much, I want to save them so much. But all this has become history.
What was "I" doing on March 11, 2011? "I" was accompanying my wife for a prenatal check-up, and that day was also the first time "I" saw my son's face. We are very excited about this new life.
On March 11, 2011, two disasters struck northeastern Japan. We don't know how many families and children were destroyed by these two disasters. Because of these two disasters, many people left their homes and fled their hometowns.
"I" have a happy family, a beautiful and virtuous wife, and a lovely toddler daughter. There is a new life in my wife's belly. If I read correctly, this new life should be a cute little handsome boy.
