Book Nook - A Remarkable Man: Dr. Shuntaro Hida from Hiroshima to Fukushima

A Remarkable Man: Dr. Shuntaro Hida from Hiroshima to Fukushima (Other Press Hardcover; On Sale 6/24/25), the latest work by author of Back to Japan and The Heart: Frida Kahlo in Paris, Marc Petitjean, offers an eye-opening portrait of a firsthand witness to the atomic bomb, who dedicated his life to treating and advocating for radiation survivors. As a young doctor, Shuntaro Hida (1917–2017) played an essential role in the aftermath of the Hiroshima bombing, which he experienced in person, only six kilometers from ground zero. Tending to the overwhelming number of victims, he would spend more than sixty years developing an unparalleled understanding of the use of radiation’s enormous cost to human life and warning against the reckless use of nuclear power.

Through intimate, thoughtful interviews and compelling reportage, Marc Petitjean has created a worthy tribute to the determined, inspiring man, Dr. Shuntaro Hida, who stood up to complicit governments and businesses. A Remarkable Man testifies to the power of individuals to effect change, as well as the importance of collective action, as demonstrated by organizations such as Nihon Hidankyo, a survivors’ group that recently was awarded the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize. With the rise of authoritarianism around the world, escalating tensions among global forces and mounting dangers posed around the possible resort to weapons of similar destruction, this critical study is more prescient than ever.

About the Author: Marc Petitjean is a writer, filmmaker, and photographer. He has directed several documentaries, including From Hiroshima to Fukushima, on Dr. Shuntaro Hida, a survivor of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima; Living Treasure, about Japanese kimono painter Kunihiko Moriguchi; and Zones grises, on his own search for information about the life of his father, Michel Petitjean, after his death. He is the author of Back to Japan (Other Press, 2021) and The Heart: Frida Kahlo in Paris (Other Press, 2020).

About the Translator: Adriana Hunter studied French and Drama at the University of London. She has translated more than ninety books, including Marc Petitjean’s The Heart: Frida Kahlo in Paris and Hervé Le Tellier’s The Anomaly and Eléctrico W, winner of the French-American Foundation’s 2013 Translation Prize in Fiction. She lives in Kent, England.