The Hiroshima men: the quest to build the atomic bomb, and the fateful decision to use it

Chronology

Foreword

Prologue

Introduction: The good war

Part I: The race for Uranium. Fission ; Convincing the Commander in Chief ; The writer from China ; The emergence of American air power: the B-29 program ; Committees

Part II: Welcome to Manhattan. "If you do the job right, it will win the war!" ; The man in the hat ; "Fighting for apple pie": John Hersey on Guadalcanal

Part III: Worlds colliding (the air war). The role of a lifetime ; The good mayor ; A lucky escape: John Hersey in Europe ; Fire and brimstone: Iwo Jima ; Welcome to "left over"

Part IV: A whirlwind is coming. A changing of the guard ; Crossing the Rubicon: the firebombing of Tokyo ; Prepare for the worst ; Manhattan in the Marianas: the Atomic Wing comes to Tinian ; Endgame: Okinawa ; The city of water ; National suicide ; The detonation debate

Part V: Fallout. Special bombing mission no.13 ; The shimmering leaves ; A dishonorable defeat ; Controlling the story

"So far from home, almost beyond return."

Epilogue: Lost legacies and reconstruction

Postscript.