Book-Here to Stay

John Hersey not only wrote fiction, but wrote many excellent pieces of non-fiction also. In this collection of his non-fiction, including his most famous work, Hiroshima, he turns in pieces about human survival. He derives his title from that theme, that as individuals, and hence as a species, we are Here to Stay.

The pieces run the gamut, from an old lady in Connecticut surviving a flooding river, to John Kennedy leading his crew to survive after his PT Boat was destroyed in WWII, to a Jew surviving Auschwitz. But Hersey steers away from sensationalism, and that works perfectly for these pieces. He gives an almost journalistic rendition of the stories, letting the horror of the situation speak for itself, never embellishing it.

For example, in Hiroshima, he follows the eyewitness account of six people who survived the blast the killed 100,000 or more. As one man was trying to rescue others near a river, he grabbed their hands, and Hersey reports, the flesh just came off. He does not talk much more about it, except that the man had to take time to recover from the shock of seeing this. But the scene is that much more powerful for lack of embellishment. As I said, Hersey lets the actions of the events speak for themselves, and he portrays these actions splendidly.

I think his type of writing has faded a bit from popularity, but it is a clear and crisp and as well written as it ever was. It is really good writing. As good as writing gets.

Here to Stay is an excellent collection of his work. He makes some short notes before each piece, and before Hiroshima he admits that this piece may challenge the idea that we are here to stay. With our ability to wipe ourselves out, it seems to have given him pause in his idea that we can make it as a species. The piece would give us all pause.

An excellent book.