An Examination of a Disaster in Strong in the Rain: Surviving Japan’s Earthquake, Tsunami, and Fukushima Nuclear Disaster

The news of Japan’s earthquake and tsunami in March 2011 flashed across the globe with images of the waves wiping out homes and followed by a nuclear meltdown that kept the world on edge. On the eve of the two year anniversary, Strong in the Rain: Surviving Japan’s Earthquake, Tsunami, and Fukushima Nuclear Disaster was recently released which chronicles the events and individual stories of survival and loss bringing a human and personal experience to the tragedy.

The authors, Lucy Birmingham and David McNeill, are both journalists who were living in Japan during that time. The book goes beyond a basic telling of the disaster and investigates the background, response, coverage, and the possible implications from these tragic events. This account is both emotional and intellectual and is a well-rounded examination of this life altering disaster.