Posts Tagged William Coles
VJ Day 80th Anniversary
Posted by Sally Jenkins in Books on August 15, 2025
Following on from the National Memorial Arboretum’s Commemoration of the 80th Anniversary of VJ Day, I wanted to highlight a book that I have mentioned before on this blog: Mr. Two Bomb by William Coles.
The main character miraculously survives the Atomic Bomb of Hiroshima. He catches the last train home – to Nagasaki – and arrives just before the world’s second atomic bomb explodes. As he battles through the apocalyptic destruction, he is haunted by one question: is he lucky, or unlucky?
I read this book several years ago and it has been imprinted on my mind ever since. It hasn’t had the size of audience it deserves and it isn’t an easy read but I found it life-affirming. I hope you will too – sometimes we have to learn about difficult topics in order to appreciate what we have.
Read my more detailed post about Mr. Two Bomb here.
Also, a heads up that A Coffee Break Story Collection: 36 Short Stories has been selected for an Amazon Limited Time Deal and, for a short time, is only 99p on Kindle. It makes a perfect antidote to the harrowing Mr. Two Bomb.
“I enjoyed all the short stories…..wish there were more.” 5-Star Amazon Review
Mr Two Bomb by William Coles
Posted by Sally Jenkins in Books on December 31, 2016
If you read only one book in 2017 then let it be Mr Two Bomb by William Coles. I guarantee it will stay in your mind for a long time to come. 
This novel is based on the true story of one of the twelve people who survived both the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombs. Having survived the first bomb, the main character (the story is told in the first person and I don’t think he’s given a name) catches the last train back to his home, wife and child in Nagasaki and arrives 90 minutes before the next atomic bomb explodes.
There is much description of the terrible injuries and deaths inflicted by these bombs and there is no way this book can be described as ‘enjoyable’. However, if, like me, you were vaguely aware that America dropped these bombs on Japan but know little else about their impact, this book will be an education for you.
Running through the book is the question of whether the main character was blessed to have survived these two bombs or cursed to have been in the vicinity of both. This is a great example of a novel where the main character goes ‘on a journey’ and emerges as a slightly different person at the end.
Above all, I felt Mr Two Bomb was life-affirming – and I think there’s a case for it being required reading in secondary schools.
Sally Jenkins 