Underground (Vintage International)

A turning point in terrorism: it's no longer limited to planes and embassy bombings. It's on the subway. This is about chemical warfare in the civilized world, the day the Tokyo subway was gassed with sarin by members of the Aum cult. According to the blurb on the back, it's also about how the "Japanese psyche" reacted to being gassed, and I would agree with that to some extent. This is...more

A turning point in terrorism: it's no longer limited to planes and embassy bombings. It's on the subway. This is about chemical warfare in the civilized world, the day the Tokyo subway was gassed with sarin by members of the Aum cult. According to the blurb on the back, it's also about how the "Japanese psyche" reacted to being gassed, and I would agree with that to some extent. This is about a piece of history that I didn't even know existed. Of course, not many people become experts on the history of the entire world, but I feel like I should have been aware of something that at least was a current event during my lifetime. It's an interesting read, but since it's a collection of non-fictional personal accounts, it gets a bit like watching the news for several hours after a major event--you're watching them play the same clips over and over again, hoping for a new twenty-second sound bite. Some people hate that, but for others (often myself), that ritual of repetition and desire for any new bit of info is what helps them cope with tragedy.   hide

Not only is it a great work of journalism, covering an important event which is almost totally forgotten by the rest of the world, but its a fascinating insight into everyday Japanese culture. Where else would a businessman get gassed by terorrists, only to continue to the office and finish a full day's work?

As the cover artwork suggests, the Aum-cult poisioned the lifeline of Tokyo and left 12 people dead and about 5,500 insured. Many of them still suffer under long term effects. In times where tragedys are often stripped down to "entertaining" videoclips it's a pleasant relief to read storys that show you the persons behind. The various storys - though they often repeat the same facts –...more

As the cover artwork suggests, the Aum-cult poisioned the lifeline of Tokyo and left 12 people dead and about 5,500 insured. Many of them still suffer under long term effects. In times where tragedys are often stripped down to "entertaining" videoclips it's a pleasant relief to read storys that show you the persons behind. The various storys - though they often repeat the same facts – bring personal insights to a terroristic attac that shook the world years before 9/11.   hide

It was the cover design that caught my attention. A striking edition in yellow. Murakami, better known as a novelist, compiles the perspectives of several people whose lives were involved in the Aum cult's sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway. We hear from victims, emergency response, accomplices...