This is a book I have been meaning to get for a long time. I lived near where the author went to end her life in a very untimely manner and at the time was suspicious over whether or not she had actually been murdered. First things first as I'm going in 10 different directions in my head at once: this book is I believe the first major compilation of the atrocities that really did happen in Nanjing in 1937. The authors family was originally from the area and it touched not just their lives but the lives of Chinese peoples as a whole as well as society in general and what we are willing to ignore, rationalize, allow or refuse to see. At this point in time only the lamest morons would try to debate the fact this happened in the capital of the ROC in 1937, but we have them too, look around at the amount of brainwashing and lack of facts in most political debates and wars going on right now. The author set forth with numerous documents from all sides Rabes' diaries [one of the greatest heroes of the people there that then was crucified when he went back to Germany first by SS then USSR agents then British]as well as the American missionary Minnie Vautrin [who later after saving thousands of Chinese came back to the US after having nervous breakdown and killed herself] that stayed in the area considered the top for facts [i.e. they were westerners] as well as well as the courageous journalists that attempted to document and film the nightmare going on around them. Covering war crimes both at the time or later can at best be mentally and emotionally debilitating as you emphasize with the victims and know their stores have to be told even if it is just in bulk to let people know to have them react in outrage to destroy the lies and coverups. I truly feel this brilliant womans life was cut short by the pressure put on it and the very real threats as well as the attempts to reduce her to nothing with character assassination. She was such a shining star that she novaed. I was further disgusted to see what I perceived as exploitation of her name for others trying to make a name for themselves. I was happy to see her mother finally put together a book about her daughter which I will acquire down the line. This is a tip to an iceberg everyone should know about. It belongs in history books and is now getting the attention it deserved a long time ago. People talk about "the holocaust" when there were actually so many and are now in the Middle East, in Africa, in South America, in Asia [Indonesia, if you will against the indigenous peoples] It's tyime to look at the whole pictures and ask what are we, who are we, and what are we now as a collective going to embrace or refuse to stand for.Read full review
Although no one doubted that the Holocaust in Europe took place after the end of World War II due to the extensive documentation, recently there has been a small, but determined effort to deny that it took place. So far, that effort has been minor with little real altering of how it appears in history. There was another event that could be described by the term Holocaust, and it took place in China. In December of 1937, the Japanese army entered the Chinese capital city of Nanking. For approximately six weeks, the Japanese engaged in a brutal exercise where Chinese soldiers that had been captured were systematically executed, women were abused, sometimes to death and civilians were killed in some of the most brutal ways. Japanese soldiers held contests to see who could kill 100 Chinese in the shortest period of time. Estimates of the number of deaths varies, it is reasonable to assume that over 300,000 people were murdered. This book is a history of that event, which has largely been ignored in Japan. It has three parts, the first is a rendition by Japanese soldiers, the second from the perspective of the Chinese and the third from Westerners that remained in the city and set up a safety zone that saved countless lives. One of the most ironic circumstances was that of Christian Kroger, and ardent Nazi that was tireless in his efforts to save Chinese people. He even appealed directly to the German leader to intervene with the Japanese on behalf of the Chinese. The message of this book is a powerful one, although somewhat difficult to read. Yet, it is necessary that books like this be read by repeated generations of people, so that the memory of the event is kept alive. There are powerful forces in Japan that dismiss what happened in Nanking as a much smaller and isolated incident. Through books like this, that effort will continue to fail. Read full review
Verified purchase: No
this book is a non-fiction book about the rape of Nanking. it is full with graphic descriptions and is very informative. truely, this is not a book for the faint of heart, as Iris Chang prolongs the horrific descriptions of Japanese Army actions. the book is terrifying, sad and at parts unbelieveable. it is historically valuable, since not much has been written about the tragedy, although at times the writing seems too biased and antagonizing (inadequate in history writing, but I suppose it stems from the writer's ancestry, as she herself mentions in the predface). all in all, a good book for those who want to know more about one of WWII's most brutal war crimes.
This is my second copy of the book. It is one of the best books i evr read and it is wonderfully interesting. i just read about Iris passing away and i was stunned i just read about it i feel vry sorry for her family. It is a horrific part of history i had never heard of till i read her book. I also just purchased "the woman who could not forget" i look forward to reading both books. My thoughts and prayers go out to here family and esp. her young son he will miss having this wonderful women in his life. i thank her for bringing all this knowledge to me, and we lost a wonderful author and person. Cathy Spelker
This book is one that should be required reading by every adult. Although the details may be too graphic and horrific for some people, this book delivers the facts by incorporating personal memories of Chinese victims and of Japanese Military soldiers, both groups providing eye witness accounts. This book also incorporates a few maps to give the reader a better understanding of what cities were attacked and shows the invasion of their forces into different cities. This book tells how the enemy (the Japanese) raped not only innocent citizens but also "raped" the country of China. The brutality of innocent Chinese civilians is an event we should never forget and this book reveals these facts that the Japanese Government would like the whole world to forget ever occurred. Read this book & remember: Do NOT let the Japanese goverment try to cover up these tragedies that were forced upon the Chinese people. This brutal attack is not discussed (or taught in schools) like the Jewish people's internment in Nazi Germany (and occupied its territories). The Japanese Gov't still denies the unforgivable events that its soldiers inflicted on innocent people. I would recommend this book to adults and Juniors & Seniors in High School. If you want to educate yourself on Asia and its history, this is a must read book. This is NOT reading for middle school children or the faint of heart reader.Read full review
Current slide {CURRENT_SLIDE} of {TOTAL_SLIDES}- Best Selling in Books
Current slide {CURRENT_SLIDE} of {TOTAL_SLIDES}- Save on Books