This is a fascinating well written account. It is a controversial subject, I saw at least two books claiming it never happened. One even claims that the pictures in this book were 'doctored'. Knowing the Japanese habit of re-writing history, I am inclined to believe that this is a true account. I would recommend this book to anyone that is interested in history especially the history of WWII. Please be aware, the descriptions of mass beheadings and systematic rapes are graphic and the pictures may be disturbing to some people. ( )

http://thebookwormslibrary.com/?p=174... ( )

This is one of the most gripping books I've ever read

Enlightening. ( )

Fantastic book. My first thorough introduction to this subject. I talked with her and she was a wonderful person -- a great shame she died so young. This book sparked a lot of unnecessary controversy and very necessary dialogue.

This was a horrifying story of Japanese war atrocities in Nanking. Not an easy read, but an eye opening one. ( )

In one of the most important books written in the last 20 years, Iris Chang tells us about the forgotten and ignored atrocities perpetrated by the Japanese forces occupying the Chinese capital Nanking in 1937. In only six weeks directly after the fall of the city the Japanese army killed about 300.000 prisoners of war and civilians, tortured innumerable individuals in the grizzliest ways, and conducted a mass rape on unimaginable scale. Chang tells us this in a powerful mix of statistics and personnel accounts from witnesses, victims and perpetrators. Not only that, we are provided with a background. Accordingly the Japanese, in a way of modernizing itself up to the standard of the west during the nineteen century chose the German path, with a highly militarized society. This evolved into a totalitarian and fascist state that educated their children from the cradle to become merciless soldiers. Even though the Japanese saw themselves as the country that would free Asia from Western domination, this was combined with a perception of fellow Asians as racially inferior.
The fall of the city was a military catastrophe for China where massive amounts of demoralized Chinese soldiers surrendered. Despite promises to the contrary the Japanese army soon started to murder them by executions, or even decapitation contests. After that they moved on to killing, what they said was, soldiers hiding among the civilians. And so it went on until no Chinese was safe in a horrifying combination with rape and pillaging. Those Chinese who managed to survive did so mainly because of the protection they got in the International safety zone that was created by a few foreigners. Here we find the glimpse of hope and humanity in this book, in how these individuals sacrificed their own safety and health to try and save as many as possible from certain death or rape.
After the war most of the perpetrators of theses deeds went unpunished. Japan took a completely different course than Germany after WWII. Japan never paid any of the victims in Nanking anything, actually denied that anything unordinary happened in the city, and instead took up the position of a victim of the war. This was something that was widespread among politicians and academics. Hopefully this will change now…

The book is well written and is an easy read. The only limit is how much horror of murder and rape the reader can digest. But the best thing about it is actually that the message of the books is out, and got massive attention. This is just such an enormous historical crime that we all (not only the Japanese) need to confront it. It actually sparked of a debate with Japanese revisionist that got many officials in Japan to acknowledge the past. But of course the book could have been better. Chang writes more like a journalist than a historian, and are more interested in getting her message out, than being right on every detail. For example in the first edition a Commodore is called a Commander. Such details should and can of course not put the main point of the book in trail, but it offered a bunch of cheap shots to the adversaries of Chang. With some more editing and better chronology this would have been a masterpiece. Chang also highlights the need for a more full account of the crimes against humanity comitted by the Japanese armed forces. Sad to say this will not be done by Iris Chang who committed suicide a couple of years after writing the rape of Nanking. A four out of five. ( )

Chang's descriptions of the Rape of Nanking are both vivid and gruesome, making this a particularly hard read. Excellently researched, but at times the writing descends into lists and the adjectives become repetitive. ( )

Wow. How do you write a reveiw on such a hard, ugly, true event. I think this book is very well written - if it wasn't you wouldn't be able to stomach the content and finish it. Unbelievable what we let the Japanese walk away from while holding other countries accountable for their actions. The fact that so much of the murder was innocent civilians and children is just stunning. I'm surprised anyone came out of it with their mind intact. Very good and important read. Everyone should know about this. ( )

A much-needed history of one of the many holocausts of World War II. Incredibly disturbing, intense, and filled with rage, it makes its point that genocide does not just 'happen'; it's an act of government sponsored and encouraged terrorism that is most likely to go forward when others choose to turn their heads and look the other way. ( )

For two months of 1937, Japanese soldiers tortured, murdered or raped up to 400,000 innocent civilians and disarmed soldiers in Nanking but after the dust of World War II settled, these atrocities vanished from public consciousness. Chang, spurred on by her Chinese-American parents, becomes the first English-language writer to chronicle "World War II's forgotten holocaust." Chang divides the book into 4 parts, telling each from a different perspective. The first chronicles the development of Japan's military culture and the special desensitization training given to recruits bound for China. The second is the story of the hundreds of thousands of Chinese trapped in Nanking while the third focuses on the 29 foreigners who risked their lives to establish the Nanking Safety Zone. Finally, Chang examines how a tragedy so huge could have faded almost completely from historical accounts of the war. The book is written in engaging, easy-to-read prose and at a mere 225 pages, it's no chore to finish. My only complaint is the lack of first-hand accounts from survivors. Chang mentions numerous trips to China to conduct interviews, but tells only 3 personal stories. When she examines the historical consequences of the massacre, she writes that many survivors "suffer to this day" but gives few details. Then she devotes several chapters to the lives and deaths of the foreigners who operated the Safety Zone. With the superabundance of statistics and the scarcity of first-hand accounts, the real human impact of the Rape of Nanking is harder to visualize than it should be. Still, this is a minor complaint against a hugely significant and effective work of historical scholarship. ( )

So I had known about this book for a long time, but then my daughter had to read for a college course she was taking. WOW, this is a tough read as the description of the massacres by the Japanese at Nanking can be a bit hard to take. Acutally, to be honest, I could not finish. This should be required reading the Japanese school system. ( )

Well, for me, “The Rape of Nanking” WAS required reading in high school, at least if you were in honors-grade history in your junior year. Sadly, I missed out on the course due to illnesses, so I don’t know how the book tied in with course teachings.

While I agree info like this should be taught in school (I never knew ANYTHING about these atrocities, or anything much about WWII in China for that matter, before reading this book), I’m not sure this book is the best thing to read for students.

I found parts very, very gruesome. The book described, even PICTURED, brutal rapes of women and things they were made to do for the Japanese. One of the two things I’m very queasy about happens to be any kind of brutal torture involving the “nether regions”; this book described and showed pictures of all ages of women tied up or tortured, some with large foreign objects stuck into their vaginas. It described various sexual acts, as well. I can still recall those black-and-white images and those descriptions in my mind, and it’s not very pleasant. It made me physically cringe then, and it does so now, too.

And of course, that’s just the beginning of the horrible deaths and atrocities described in the book.

In the end, though, the knowledge and insight into history that I gained from the book far outweighed the brutal depictions.

I would consider this a great book to first learn about the Nanking Massacre, though maybe not the definitive go-to book. As seems to be the case with much of WWII history, many facts and figures are disputed greatly. I kind of wished there were some more explanations about the events leading up to the massacre and why it happened, as well. While Chang does go through some of this, I think it would be interesting to read more about this subject from different viewpoints. Of course, I haven’t had money or time to do this yet! ( )

Well written account of the Japanese atrocities in Nanking during the early days of WWII. Brings to light the crimes and those who wish to pretend they didn't happen, or ignore them.

She give details, dates and names, though in a summary format,of the events. She works with eyewitness interviews or written accounts. Through it all she also tries to understand the Japanese and why they did what they did. She tries to promote humanity and not use sensationalism or hate to sell her book or present the story.

The details are not white-washed, nor are they exploited and she gives examples of crimes that represent the different types, so there is no gore overload.

This book should be read to educate not only about what happened there in WWII, but about how easily decency can be stripped away, and highlight that genocide and indifference are still at work today. ( )

Tremendous book that should be required reading in all high schools--lest we forget. This story must be heard. It is very reflective and written passionately. "A powerful, landmark book, riveting in its horror." ( )

Harrowing. A keeper! It's like a hill of dung found under Japan's rug. Chang's description of the atrocities should be a wake-up call for Japan to answer its warcrimes. ( )

Powerful stuff. It's amazing (and not in a positive way) what doesn't get taught in schools in the US.