Brave appearance about a touch topic: Author Rahna Reiko Rizzuto was interviewed yesterday on the "Today" show about her powerful memoir, "Hiroshima in the Morning," and how it changed her views of motherhood. She left her husband and children upon her return from a 2001 fellowship in Japan that included the 9/11 attacks, and the book is about her journey of self-identity during her trip, which was to research the survivors of the Hiroshima bombing.

While there she struggled with the role as a mother, and delat with memories of her mother, who at the time was losing her memory to Alzheimer's. Rizzuto realized after six months that she didn't want to be a mom, a decision that many people criticize her for.

Meredith Viera makes a great final point, that people should read the book first before passing judgment on the reasons why Rizzuto chose divorce upon her return.

You can read the article, see the video and get the transcript of the segment on the "Today" website. Here's my Nikkei View blog post about the book from last fall.