Author’s note: Kiyoko Wells and I met each other by chance, as a result of a series of rolling blackouts that affected Southern California, during a hot summer day, a few years ago. She lives several houses away from my parents’ home, and after a random encounter and conversation with one of my sisters, my family has cultivated a profound friendship with Kiyoko, so much so that we consider her part of our family.
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In August of 1945, the United States dropped atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.1 World War II had been going on for approxima…