The Bomb

On July 1, 1995 the US dropped an atom bomb onto Bikini Atoll for atomic testing after the Second World War. The islanders are forced to leave the island until the land is safe again. This historic fiction, The Bomb by Theodore Taylor, is very powerful and sad and something you should definitely read. The islanders had always lived peacefully on Bikini Atoll. They spent their time fishing, making copra, and picking coconuts among other things. Until, the war when the Japanese took them captive and used the island for weather stations. The Americans freed the islanders from the Japanese but soon told them they would use the island for atomic tests and the islanders would have to leave for two years. Sorry Rinamu and his Uncle Abram don't believe the American's promise. Sorry's father had died when he was young so when Sorry was 14 he became the man of the family. He lived with his mother, his sister, his grandparents, and his uncle. Sorry believes the island will be poisoned and they would never return. I really liked him because he was very brave and he would do whatever it takes to save his island even if he was risking his own life. Uncle Abram was another one of my favorite characters because he traveled around the world in an American merchant ship and escaped to return to Bikini. He was one of the only islanders to go far from the Atolls and the only one who spoke English. Abram is very angry at the US and is Sorry's inspiration to stand up to them. The author really made you care about his characters and what they believed in. His writing style was very simple and was straight to the point but he really made you feel like you were on the ship leaving your home. Theodore Taylor got his inspiration for this book when he worked on the US ship as a deck officer in Bikini Lagoon. He found a doll on the on the shore and felt very guilty about the removal of the islanders. It is scary to think that our own country did these things to these people and to think if it ever happened to us. The Bomb can be scary and sad but I think it is something everyone should read and know about. So if you're looking for a good book to read, The Bomb would be a great choice.

RECOMMENDATION This book takes place during the time of the war. I recommend this book to anyone who is 12 years old and up because it's about the war in the early 1900s. But you need to understand a little bit of the wars to comprehend it to your understandings. Also it has a little bit of fighting in it. For example, the United States were trying to compete with Germany. "Do you relize we are the only humans within miles of here?" shouted Tara. Tara asked, "Will we be six miles away?" Sorry nodded, "I hope so." In conclusion if you are interested in bombs and the history of the world, read, "THE BOMB."

If you like action books you would like "The Bomb." I would recommend it to any age group if you are into actions. It is about a boy and the Americans wanting to use Bikini Island for a bomb test site.

The book is very well written. Everything is realistic, even if it's not real. It shows the fact that in war, there's no good guy.

Sorry Rinamu likes where he lives and does not want to leave. He lives on a Western Pacific island . He was born there and he loves it there. When World War II starts everything changes. The Japanese build a weather station on the island and disrupts life. This went on until the Americans invaded and killed the three men inside their barracks. When the Americans take control of the island, they decide to use the tropical island and it's lagoon for an Atom Bomb testing area. His uncle tries to stop them, but dies before he could. Now he wants to stop them. Here are a few examples. He tried to reason with an American general but could not succeed. Then he tries to make them find another island outside of the lagoon, but that didn't work either. When his whole villige was taken to another island he tried despretly to get off it and go back but they still didn't listen. When all options ran out, he thought of this one. He was going to paint a canoe red (like the target ship) He would think that when the bomber would see him they would cancel the test. So when he told the villige he was going only two people waned to go with him. When he got their they didn't see them and the bomb went off. It didn't say in the book what happened after that but it does say " The able bomb has spent it energy and has spewed its poison. It killing has only begun" I think Sorry was brave and he would do any thing to get his home back. I think he is a very determined person and it shows in this book.