We are happy to announce Advisory Council Member Kathleen Burkinshaw, Japanese American Author’s Award-Winning U.S. Novel, The Last Cherry Blossom’s Japanese Translation, released on August 12 from Holp Shuppan Publishers, Tokyo, Japan.
2nd Generation Hibakusha’s book brings attention to humanity under the mushroom clouds
A few days after the 77th commemoration of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Holp Shuppan Publishers Co. released the Japanese translation by Yoshida Chiyoko of Japanese American author Kathleen Burkinshaw’s award-winning M.G. historical fiction, The Last Cherry Blossom (August 12, 2022). ラスト・チェリー・ブロッサム わたしのヒロシマ https://www.kinokuniya.co.jp/f/dsg-01-9784593102983
The Last Cherry Blossom, a United Nations Office of Disarmament Affairs Education Resource for Teachers & Students, is based on events in Ms. Burkinshaw’s mother, Toshiko Ishikawa’s life in Hiroshima during the last year of WWII. Readers witness the horror of the atomic bombing through Ishikawa-san’s 12-year-old eyes. The U.S. novel was published in 2016(Sky Pony Press), and the U.S. audiobook version (Dreamscape Media) released in 2021 with a 3rd generation Hibakusha as narrator. The English version of The Last Cherry Blossom is read in classrooms all over the world. And it has been and continues to be the Grade 6 book for Hiroshima International School’s Action Week.
Kathleen Burkinshaw is a wife, mom, and owns a dog who’s a retired kitchen ninja. In 2019 she spoke about her mother’s experience in Hiroshima at the United Nations (NYC) and with her daughter on U.N. virtual events for the 75th anniversary of atomic bombing. In 2021, she had the honor of speaking at a Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum virtual event. Kathleen has presented to middle/high schools around the world for the past 10 years. She now serves on the Advisory Council at the International Center for Multigenerational Legacies of Trauma and on the Steering Committee for the Global Alliance Sustainable Peace & Prosperity for All, Hiroshima Japan.
She also has been a featured guest on NHK World Japan (English and Japanese programs), Asian American Magazines, and on numerous podcasts. Writing gives her an outlet for her daily struggle with chronic pain from Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy. The U.S. version of The Last Cherry Blossom was also a Finalist for the 2018 Sakura Medal, Japan. Ms. Burkinshaw can be reached through her website https://www.kathleenburkinshaw.com
