A Dimly Burning Wick is a powerful memoir of children's survival in the ruins of Hiroshima after the dropping of the atomic bomb in 1945. In this book, former schoolteacher Sadako Teiko Okuda shares her memories of not only her own struggle in those first terrible days, but also the terror and tenderness of children and teenagers who--even in their final hours--gently cared for their siblings, parents, grandparents, and friends. This moving book was released in English in 2008, with translation by Beaverton resident Dr. Pamela Bea Wilson Vergun. A Dimly Burning Wick was taken from an exceptional diary begun in Hiroshima by Ms. Okuda within a day of the atomic bombing. Now 94, the author was 30 years old at the time of the bombing, and began a desperate search for her missing niece and nephew in the days immediately following the devastation. In her diary, Ms. Okuda recorded the stories of the children she encountered, who searched for parents and siblings, brought water to dying grandparents, and sometimes literally expended their last breaths trying to help their loved ones. This document of the experience of children is the heart of A Dimly Burning Wick and sets it apart from other remembrances of Hiroshima. On Thursday, 4 June, at 7:00 pm, translator Dr. Pamela Vergun will discuss A Dimly Burning Wick, her experience of working with Ms. Okuda, and insightful analysis of the current international situation. This event is a benefit for Physicians for Social Responsibility. Tickets are available at St. Johns Booksellers by phone or e-mail; will-call is available. Tickets are $5, with ticket holders receiving $2 off the purchase price of A DIMLY BURNING WICK. Physicians for Social Responsibility will receive $3 from each ticket sold.  Click here to order tickets by e-mail, or call 503-283-0032.