Barefoot Gen, Volume Three

Paperback, 284 pages

English language

Published Dec. 22, 2005 by Last Gasp.

ISBN:: 978-0-86719-594-1

(6 reviews)

Japan, August 1945. Young Gen Nakaoka and his mother, Kimie, along with baby Tomoko, have left behind the desolation that only days earlier had been the beautiful city of Hiroshima. Now in the nearby village of Eba, the three weary survivors are taken in to live in the storehouse of Kimie's childhood friend Kiyo, after initially being forced out by Kiyo's mother-in-law. However, they are still expected to pay rent, so Gen must search for work to support his family. He finds it in the Yoshida household, whose uncle, a man named Seiji, had been in the city when the bomb hit and now needs someone to take care of him, since the Yoshidas are too afraid to go near Seiji themselves. Initially hostile towards Gen, Seiji warms up to the boy when he shows him compassion that no one had given him since the blast. And soon, Ryuta and …

Japan, August 1945. Young Gen Nakaoka and his mother, Kimie, along with baby Tomoko, have left behind the desolation that only days earlier had been the beautiful city of Hiroshima. Now in the nearby village of Eba, the three weary survivors are taken in to live in the storehouse of Kimie's childhood friend Kiyo, after initially being forced out by Kiyo's mother-in-law. However, they are still expected to pay rent, so Gen must search for work to support his family. He finds it in the Yoshida household, whose uncle, a man named Seiji, had been in the city when the bomb hit and now needs someone to take care of him, since the Yoshidas are too afraid to go near Seiji themselves. Initially hostile towards Gen, Seiji warms up to the boy when he shows him compassion that no one had given him since the blast. And soon, Ryuta and his gang of orphans reappear after getting caught stealing food. Gen gets his little brother's doppelganger out of trouble and appeals to his mother to take Ryuta in. But Kiyo's mother-in-law will have none of it….

A now-classic manga, Hadashi no Gen (Barefoot Gen) is based on author Keiji Nakazawa’s own experiences as a young boy in Hiroshima at the end of World War II. Gen's tale is a deep, harrowing read about the effects of war on a civilian population and what it takes to survive in a world on fire. This edition uses a translation by Project Gen, a team of volunteers formed in the 1970s with the mission of providing a complete English translation of Hadashi no Gen so that a wider audience around the world could read its message.

1 edition

Ika Makimaki reviewed Barefoot Gen, Volume Three by Keiji Nakazawa (Barefoot Gen)

Review of 'Barefoot Gen, Volume Three' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

Had to read this last, as it was unavailable in the library when I read the others... so it felt like going back in time a bit.
Nevertheless, this episode of Gen's story explains how Ryuta and him become friends, and, surprisingly, foreshadows two important elements in the story: the painting and the very clear metaphor of the wheat.
It is one of the more powerful chapters of the story, as the bomb is still very recent and the plight pof the hibakusha (bomb survivors) is quite clearly introduced to the story here.
There's compassion, friendship love and optimism in the darkest of circumstances, so it is an uplifting story.
Perhaps the only aspect of it that hasn't aged very well is the recurrence of physical violence as a gag. It seems to call back to slapstick comedy, and sometimes it does work, but it feels out of place in …

Had to read this last, as it was unavailable in the library when I read the others... so it felt like going back in time a bit.
Nevertheless, this episode of Gen's story explains how Ryuta and him become friends, and, surprisingly, foreshadows two important elements in the story: the painting and the very clear metaphor of the wheat.
It is one of the more powerful chapters of the story, as the bomb is still very recent and the plight pof the hibakusha (bomb survivors) is quite clearly introduced to the story here.
There's compassion, friendship love and optimism in the darkest of circumstances, so it is an uplifting story.
Perhaps the only aspect of it that hasn't aged very well is the recurrence of physical violence as a gag. It seems to call back to slapstick comedy, and sometimes it does work, but it feels out of place in a book with such a deeply pacifist message.
Otherwise a very remarkable and fun read. :)