The Rape of Nanking

"5/5: A genuinely heartbreaking historical nonfictional book highlighting many of the atrocious acts the Japanese soldiers and their government had committed during WWll. A well-articulated and detailed book, my heart goes out to the Chinese victims and the many families terrorized and lost during the war. The Rape Of Nanking should be read and properly taught to the next generations to come so they too can learn from their leader's mistakes and not let history repeat itself. I'd like to thank Iris Chang and her commitment to researching the topic despite knowing the dangers and shunning it came with it, may she rest in peace. Here are some quotes from the book that struck me: “I was suddenly in a panic that this terrifying disrespect for death and dying, this reversion in human social evolution, would be reduced to a footnote of history, treated like a harmless glitch in a computer program that might or might not again cause a problem, unless someone forced the world to remember it.” “The Rape of Nanking did not penetrate the world consciousness in the same manner as the Holocaust or Hiroshima because the victims themselves had remained silent.” “Germany is today a better place because Jews have not allowed that country to forget what it did nearly sixty years ago. The American South is a better place for its acknowledgment of the evil of slavery and the one hundred years of Jim Crowism that followed emancipation. Japanese culture will not move forward until it too admits not only to the world but to itself how improper were its actions of just half a century ago.” “We made them like this. Good sons, good daddies, good elder brothers at home were brought to the front to kill each other. Human beings turned into murdering demons. Everyone became a demon within three months.”"

"being chinese myself, it was eye opening to read this. would not recommend to people who are sensitive to extremely detailed gruesome scenery"

"Very depressing, but good"

"Probably one of the more gruesome books I’ve read, but a necessary evil. The author also has a truly sad story about herself as well. This book is packed with lies and deceit at the highest government levels displaying atrocities that need to be remembered, not buried and forgotten. There are stories about the most deplorable acts of torture and also some heart pounding acts of human kindness. "

"Gruesome and horrific book describing true events. Genuinely offended and disgusted that something of this magnitude was buried from history. Describes acts of pure evil in painstaking detail. I implore anyone to read it."

"This can be a tough read due to the graphic nature of the contents. But what happened in Nanking was horrific and they should not be forgotten. Very well written."