The Rape of Nanking: The Forgotten Holocaust of World War II
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- Create Date：2021-05-09 10:55:17
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- Author：Iris Chang
- ISBN：0465068367
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Summary
The New York Times bestselling account of one of history's most brutal -- and forgotten -- massacres， when the Japanese army destroyed China's capital city on the eve of World War II
In December 1937， one of the most horrific atrocities in the long annals of wartime barbarity occurred。 The Japanese army swept into the ancient city of Nanking （what was then the capital of China）， and within weeks， more than 300，000 Chinese civilians and soldiers were systematically raped， tortured， and murdered。 In this seminal work， Iris Chang， whose own grandparents barely escaped the massacre， tells this history from three perspectives: that of the Japanese soldiers， that of the Chinese， and that of a group of Westerners who refused to abandon the city and created a safety zone， which saved almost 300，000 Chinese。
Drawing on extensive interviews with survivors and documents brought to light for the first time， Iris Chang's classic book is the definitive history of this horrifying episode。
"Chang vividly， methodically， records what happened， piecing together the abundant eyewitness reports into an undeniable tapestry of horror。" - Adam Hochschild， Salon
In December 1937， one of the most horrific atrocities in the long annals of wartime barbarity occurred。 The Japanese army swept into the ancient city of Nanking （what was then the capital of China）， and within weeks， more than 300，000 Chinese civilians and soldiers were systematically raped， tortured， and murdered。 In this seminal work， Iris Chang， whose own grandparents barely escaped the massacre， tells this history from three perspectives: that of the Japanese soldiers， that of the Chinese， and that of a group of Westerners who refused to abandon the city and created a safety zone， which saved almost 300，000 Chinese。
Drawing on extensive interviews with survivors and documents brought to light for the first time， Iris Chang's classic book is the definitive history of this horrifying episode。
"Chang vividly， methodically， records what happened， piecing together the abundant eyewitness reports into an undeniable tapestry of horror。" - Adam Hochschild， Salon
Reviews
Terry Jess
，
Absolutely horrifying。 This is a fantastically well researched book and it definitely shocked this history teacher。 This may be the most cruel and extreme act of human depravity in human history。 It’s never a competition when it comes to atrocities， but the details of this massacre will leave you despondent。
Toni Babenko
，
The book tells us a very interesting and important episode in World War II， which you couldn't have probably read in your school textbooks。 Many people treat the Japanese as victims of World War II， because of Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki。 But the book represents the Japanese army from another point of view， as people who were massively killing innocent Chinese citizens and villages， mocked them， and treated them worse than farm animals。In a nutshell， the book will change your view The book tells us a very interesting and important episode in World War II， which you couldn't have probably read in your school textbooks。 Many people treat the Japanese as victims of World War II， because of Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki。 But the book represents the Japanese army from another point of view， as people who were massively killing innocent Chinese citizens and villages， mocked them， and treated them worse than farm animals。In a nutshell， the book will change your view on the Japanese nation during World War II。 。。。more
Bran
，
My grandfather gave me a copy of this autographed by the author before he died。 It's one of my prized posessions， and the book accurately and heartbreakingly exposes terrible actions in our world's history。 My grandfather gave me a copy of this autographed by the author before he died。 It's one of my prized posessions， and the book accurately and heartbreakingly exposes terrible actions in our world's history。 。。。more
Irene
，
I wanted to know more about history in East Asia and this was a highly recommended book about a pretty prominent historical event。 After reading it， I've learned far more than I expected to。 This is one of those books that changes you and leaves you feeling dazed after you've read it。 It makes you a little less naive about the world。 Not a book I want to read again nor a book I'd recommend for the faint-hearted， but not one that I regret reading。 I think it's an important book to read。 I wanted to know more about history in East Asia and this was a highly recommended book about a pretty prominent historical event。 After reading it， I've learned far more than I expected to。 This is one of those books that changes you and leaves you feeling dazed after you've read it。 It makes you a little less naive about the world。 Not a book I want to read again nor a book I'd recommend for the faint-hearted， but not one that I regret reading。 I think it's an important book to read。 。。。more
Jitna Bhagani
，
Heartbreaking but very insightful
Scott Bradfield
，
A story that needed to be told， made more prominent because of the anguish of the author。
Farrah
，
Clearly a very important work of historical nonfiction about a topic that I knew nothing about。 awful and horrifying， However written in a somewhat clinical， non-personal manner so i didn’t necessarily to feel all the feelings that I expected to。 It was Crazy to read about how much and how long the Japanese have tried to suppress substantive information about or acknowledgement about this piece of history， with an assist from the US。
Fay
，
Gripping， saddening， and infuriating。 I've known this book for years but only started reading it recently。 I regret that I didn't read this book before I traveled to Nanjing （Nanking）。 What prompted me to actually start reading is a Chinese opera director based in the United States。 She's from Nanjing and directed the opera The Diary of John Rabe， an incredible person。 The atrocities the Japanese soldiers committed are enraging， and I couldn't stop weeping while reading this book。 As a Chinese p Gripping， saddening， and infuriating。 I've known this book for years but only started reading it recently。 I regret that I didn't read this book before I traveled to Nanjing （Nanking）。 What prompted me to actually start reading is a Chinese opera director based in the United States。 She's from Nanjing and directed the opera The Diary of John Rabe， an incredible person。 The atrocities the Japanese soldiers committed are enraging， and I couldn't stop weeping while reading this book。 As a Chinese person myself， I've been ingrained with the horribleness of WWII and the ruthlessness of Japanese soldiers at the time， but I never really comprehended the full scale of massacres that happened in China。 Still worse is the Chinese government agency responsible for overseeing the TV&film industry has been encouraging propaganda anti-Japanese TV dramas， which can be stupid and are not helpful at all。 Thank you， Ms。 Chang， for writing this book and providing a historical account of what happened in Nanjing during the WWII， and for becoming the voice for victims in Nanjing。 。。。more
gregor
，
saksamaal on holokausti eitamine seadusega karistatav， jaapanis aga vastupidi （https://en。wikipedia。org/wiki/Nanjing。。。）。 riik püüab nii oma hariduse kui ka avalike sõnavõttudega kustutada üht maailma kõige räigemat intsidenti kollektiivsest teadvusest。 olgugi， et tegu on ajaloolise sõja non-fictioniga， siis minu meelest on raamat nõndasama laiahaardeline ülevaade inimloomu ekstreemumkohtadest。 mis moodi on inimene võimeline oma lõbuks ellu viima võistluse， kes suudab kiiremini tappa 100 hiinlas saksamaal on holokausti eitamine seadusega karistatav， jaapanis aga vastupidi （https://en。wikipedia。org/wiki/Nanjing。。。）。 riik püüab nii oma hariduse kui ka avalike sõnavõttudega kustutada üht maailma kõige räigemat intsidenti kollektiivsest teadvusest。 olgugi， et tegu on ajaloolise sõja non-fictioniga， siis minu meelest on raamat nõndasama laiahaardeline ülevaade inimloomu ekstreemumkohtadest。 mis moodi on inimene võimeline oma lõbuks ellu viima võistluse， kes suudab kiiremini tappa 100 hiinlast; kästa vanematel ja ka vanavanematel vägistada oma lapsi ja lapselapsi; vägistada naisi tänavatel; lõigata lahti （elusate） rasedate kõhtusid ning visata looteid koertele söögiks; riputada inimesi keeltpidi surnuks， neid fileerida， lõikuda suguelundkonda jne （ja kohtumõistmisest pääseda！！）。nankingi jeesus kristusteks olid aga nats ja kristlik nunn， kes lõid nankingi keskmesse turvaala ning üksi kihutasid ja hirmutasid sõja vältel jaapanlaste kõvu väikseid munne hiinlaste seest välja。 millegi pärast japsid kartsid natse。 jeesus kristus polnud selle kaose sees teadlik， mis tema kodumaal sünnib ning sinna sõja lõppedes naastes， elas ta tagakiusatuna surma äärel。 ta denatsifitseeriti alles 4 aastat enne südarit。 põhjuseks – hoolimata sellest， et tegu oli natsiga päästis ta aaaa vaidd mingi 200 000 inimelu blaablaabla。 printsess asaka aga， kes oli teadlik kõigest， mis tema sõjavägi hiinas korda saatis， pääses kohtusse ilmumast （tänu oma kuninglikule verele） ja mängis rahulikult golfi， jõi teed ning sõi küpsist koos teiste sõjakurjategijatega oma suvevillas。tänasest ühiskondlikust moraalist läbiimmutatuna on keeruline midagi sellist endale ette kujutada。 me ei taha ju surmast mõelda， ammugi sest lugeda。 surrakse haiglas või üksi oma kodus， kus hiljem paar nädalat või kuud vaikselt mädanetakse。 linlased matavad oma lähedasigi suletud kirstus。 tänane moraal on kindlasti jätkusuutlikum kui varajasem， nt jaapani dünastia ülistus， kuid ega ses suures võrdluste ja eksikujutelmade maailmas elamine ka väga üllale teele ei vii。 tore kui mu mu targutuste lugemisega siiani välja jõudsid:） 。。。more
Zaron
，
A good book on a topic I didn't know a lot about。 Would've been interested in a bit more depth about the way it ended up sort of hidden， and how the communist party， post war Japan， and the US converged on denying or glossing over the atrocity， and the internal politics of Japan that have cultivated denialism。 The account of the massacre is well written and get the point across without being grotesque。 A good book on a topic I didn't know a lot about。 Would've been interested in a bit more depth about the way it ended up sort of hidden， and how the communist party， post war Japan， and the US converged on denying or glossing over the atrocity， and the internal politics of Japan that have cultivated denialism。 The account of the massacre is well written and get the point across without being grotesque。 。。。more
Tim Haynes
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Damn that was hard to read。 I’m not sure what’s more surprising: that humans can be conditioned to rationalize these behaviors during wartime， or that I’ve never heard a peep about Nanking。 European theater WW2 is practically its own genre with books printed every day about one person’s loss or another person’s sacrifice， while 300k+ Chinese， mostly civilian， were wiped out in less time than it takes to play a college football season。 So very sad。
Alireza Najafi
，
این کتاب از جنایات ژاپن در جنگ جهانی دوم در کشور چین و به طور خاص شهر نانکینگ که اون زمان پایتخت چین بوده صحبت میکنه。با توجه به اینکه منابع و کتب بسیار زیادی در زمینه جنگ جهانی دوم در اروپا وجود داره، اطلاعات خیلی کمی در مورد اتفاقات بخش آسیایی جنگ جهانی موجود هست و به خصوص در مورد اقدامات ژاپنیها چه در نحوه جنگیدن و چه در مورد رفتار با اسرا و افراد غیرنظامی منابع کمی وجود دارند。 معمولا همه ژاپن رو به بمبهای هستهای آمریکا و اتفاقات قبل از اون میشناسند و چیزی از فعالیتهای ژاپن در ارتباط با این کتاب از جنایات ژاپن در جنگ جهانی دوم در کشور چین و به طور خاص شهر نانکینگ که اون زمان پایتخت چین بوده صحبت میکنه。با توجه به اینکه منابع و کتب بسیار زیادی در زمینه جنگ جهانی دوم در اروپا وجود داره، اطلاعات خیلی کمی در مورد اتفاقات بخش آسیایی جنگ جهانی موجود هست و به خصوص در مورد اقدامات ژاپنیها چه در نحوه جنگیدن و چه در مورد رفتار با اسرا و افراد غیرنظامی منابع کمی وجود دارند。 معمولا همه ژاپن رو به بمبهای هستهای آمریکا و اتفاقات قبل از اون میشناسند و چیزی از فعالیتهای ژاپن در ارتباط با کره، چین و دیگر کشورهای شرق دور نمیدانند。متن کتاب بسیار دردآور و آزاردهنده هست و در بخشهایی مسایل مربوط به شکنجه، متله کردن،تجاوزهایی با شکلهای وحشتناک توصیف میشود که ممکنه برای خواننده خیلی اذیتکننده باشهاین کتاب توسط نشر نگاه معاصر در سال ۱۳۸۷ به فارسی ترجمه شده و تجدید چاپ نشده است بنابراین انتظار ایرادات معمول کتابهای چاپ اول را داشته باشید ولی موضوع آزاردهنده ترجمه این کتاب است، متن ترجمهشده بسیار ثقیل، ناخوانا و پر از لغات کمکاربرد است。 پیشگفتار انقدر غیرروان و بدون پیوستگی است که ممکن است کل کتاب را به خاطر آن رها کنید。در کل خواندن این کتاب را به کسانی که علاقه دارند در خصوص بخش آسیایی جنگ جهانی دوم اطلاعات کسب کنند و این مساله را از نگاه مردم چین ببیند توصیه میکنم 。。。more
David J。 Harris
，
Read it and weep。 Not for the faint of heart。“Looking back upon millennia of history， it appears clear that no race or culture has a monopoly on wartime cruelty。 The veneer of civilization seems to be exceedingly thin， One that can be easily stripped away。”
Hashir Sahi
，
Horrifying。
Yadi
，
Wow。。。 my heart feels so heavy right now。 I have no words。 I'll have to come back and review this book some other time。 Wow。。。 my heart feels so heavy right now。 I have no words。 I'll have to come back and review this book some other time。 。。。more
Jason Chavez
，
This is an important part of history that has largely been overlooked and Iris Chang delves into that factor。 One of my next books is going to be the biography her mother wrote about her。
Alaina Roberts
，
A little out of date （in terms of how well known this event is） but the information is horrible and eye opening。 I had no idea how horrible the rape of Nanking was and I think it is a fantastic resource to see how easily men can become monsters。
tong huang
，
Eye opening description of the Rape of Nanking。 All Chinese should read this book。 As a matter of fact， Americans are generally too ignorant about history in that part of the world。 They should read this book as well to have a clear understanding of what Japan had done during the World War II in China。
Marsha
，
This book made me feel so horrible and I really wanted to cry。 I had no idea about this massacre and I feel ashamed for not knowing。 This book is from three different prospectives - the Japanese， the Chinese， and the foreigners living in China。 I feel like everyone needs to know about this topic。 I did listen to this as an audio book through audible， so I missed out on seeing the names and such。
Matt Evans
，
Absolutely excellent！ Before reading this book I was unaware of just how gruesome and evil this massacre was。 Clearly written and extremely well researched。 If you can get through this book without being absolutely appalled and disgusted then you are no doubt a psychopath！ This is not an easy read。
Peter
，
Very important and very depressing book。 I picked this up before heading to Nanjing for the Chinese Tomb Sweeping Day holiday。 This combined with a trip to the Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders was about the most I've ever gotten from a trip to a museum/memorial。 You'll learn a lot about a tragic event in history that has been glossed over。 Fascinating that I hadn't heard much more than a mention about the rape of nanking before moving to China。 Very important and very depressing book。 I picked this up before heading to Nanjing for the Chinese Tomb Sweeping Day holiday。 This combined with a trip to the Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders was about the most I've ever gotten from a trip to a museum/memorial。 You'll learn a lot about a tragic event in history that has been glossed over。 Fascinating that I hadn't heard much more than a mention about the rape of nanking before moving to China。 。。。more
Sam Holloway
，
A difficult but must read book。
Le Book Rat
，
The Rape of Nanking is a gripping and disturbing read。 I was so horrified that I could not stop reading。 The provided photos are graphic， haunting， and incredibly painful; I could not look through them。 It is heartbreaking to imagine that so many voices and lives were silenced in brutal ways。 This informative book， with nearly 70 pages worth of citations， deserves so much more love than a times new roman font and wrinkly paper。 The Rape of Nanking contains the truth of the Nanking Massacre that The Rape of Nanking is a gripping and disturbing read。 I was so horrified that I could not stop reading。 The provided photos are graphic， haunting， and incredibly painful; I could not look through them。 It is heartbreaking to imagine that so many voices and lives were silenced in brutal ways。 This informative book， with nearly 70 pages worth of citations， deserves so much more love than a times new roman font and wrinkly paper。 The Rape of Nanking contains the truth of the Nanking Massacre that we are afraid to acknowledge in our governments and education systems。 While I grew up relatively well-informed of forced labor camps as well as the bombing of Pearl Harbor and Hiroshima during WW2， I was completely unaware that the Nanking Massacre existed。 The Rape of Nanking is a must read （I recommend it for anyone 14 years and older）。 If you choose to read The Rape of Nanking， take care of yourself。 Be prepared to read about a） how entire Chinese families were massacred， b） the rape/murder of Chinese women from the ages of 8 to 70， and c） the stories of unsung heroes who sacrificed everything。"To forget a Holocaust is to kill twice。" —Elie Weisel 。。。more
Lucas Araujo
，
Gosh。。。 this was sad to read。。。It is even more sad when you realize that it has been over 20 years since the book's release， and well over 80 years since this massacre took place， and the story is still barely more than a whisper。。。 Gosh。。。 this was sad to read。。。It is even more sad when you realize that it has been over 20 years since the book's release， and well over 80 years since this massacre took place， and the story is still barely more than a whisper。。。 。。。more
Lacey
，
Tough but necessary read。 The worst monsters are real。
Alvaro Hidalgo Rodriguez
，
I was one of those people who thought of himself as pretty well educated and yet I knew next to nothing about what happened in Nanking until I read this book。 That one of the greatest war crimes on such a massive scale and so unbelievable in the cruelty perpetrated has not been highlighted so far is almost beyond comprehension。 I’m very glad I read this book。 I was sorry to discover that its author committed suicide at age 36 while doing research for another book。 It was partly the things she ha I was one of those people who thought of himself as pretty well educated and yet I knew next to nothing about what happened in Nanking until I read this book。 That one of the greatest war crimes on such a massive scale and so unbelievable in the cruelty perpetrated has not been highlighted so far is almost beyond comprehension。 I’m very glad I read this book。 I was sorry to discover that its author committed suicide at age 36 while doing research for another book。 It was partly the things she had to learn， the innumerable tales of evil that contributed to her eventual mental breakdown。 The importance of her research and this book is evidenced by the fact that there is now a museum in China dedicated to her life and work， and a statue of her adorns the memorial to the victims in Nanking。 。。。more
Lumbreras Tx
，
This bock i dont like becouse i dont undestound
David
，
This is a grim fucking book， and I've read books about genocides and serial killers without flinching。Iris Chang is not neutral on this subject。 She wrote The Rape of Nanking in 1997 after learning that， although the event was well documented， there had never been an English-language book written about it。 Her grandparents had narrowly escaped Nanking during the war。 It's clear from reading her writing that she had some feelings about the Japanese。 In 1998 she confronted the Japanese ambassador This is a grim fucking book， and I've read books about genocides and serial killers without flinching。Iris Chang is not neutral on this subject。 She wrote The Rape of Nanking in 1997 after learning that， although the event was well documented， there had never been an English-language book written about it。 Her grandparents had narrowly escaped Nanking during the war。 It's clear from reading her writing that she had some feelings about the Japanese。 In 1998 she confronted the Japanese ambassador to the United States on television。 In the typical manner of Japanese politicians speaking about Japan's wartime record， the ambassador said， "There were perhaps some unfortunate incidents。"These are not the worst images available。 While the Japanese tried to cover up the massacre as it became a PR nightmare， Westerners in the city took a lot of photographs and even movie reels。 There are thousands of pages of documentation and photographs。 The facts are really indisputable， which has not prevented many Japanese （including government officials） from disputing them， which is the source of the author's palpable rage towards the end of the book。The story in simple summary: the Imperial Japanese Army's Shanghai Expeditionary Force arrived at Nanking in December of 1937， where one of Chiang Kai-Shek's generals， Tang Shengzhi， declared that Nanking would not surrender， but would fight to the death。 Then he left about 10，000 untrained peasant soldiers to defend it and hightailed it out of the city。 The IJA arrived， following a bombing campaign， took the city， and a six-week orgy of rape， looting， and mass murder on a scale perhaps never before seen in history ensued。 Although atrocities continued throughout the Japanese occupation （as indeed the Japanese had been committing atrocities in China long before this）， it was that initial period in which the worst horrors occurred。Chang details the atrocities in gruesome detail。 They are well-documented， by the international residents of the city who witnessed it and did their best， often heroically， to save the defenseless Chinese。 Chang herself went to Nanking to interview survivors。 The book is divided into several parts， first telling the story from the perspective of the Japanese and their military campaign， then from the perspective of the Chinese， then from the perspective of international observers inside and outside of the city。The Unknown HolocaustThe Holocaust tends to suck all the air out of the room when we talk about World War II atrocities， but in many ways， what happened in Nanking was even worse。 The death toll may not have been as high （estimates are still disputed， with the Japanese still insisting on a death toll from the truly ridiculous 3K to a still absurd underestimate of 30K-60K， while most historians agree it was probably more like 100K-200K and some Chinese claim as many as 400K）， but while the Holocaust was a brutal industrial scale genocide carried out with German efficiency， the Japanese in Nanking got。。。。 creative。They ran wires through captives， chopped them up with swords， hung them by their tongues， used them for bayonet practice， stabbed them to death with needles， soaked them in gasoline and shot them， laughing as they went up in flames。 They buried men to the waist and had dogs tear them apart， they drove over prisoners in tanks to use their bodies to fill ditches。 They herded civilians into frozen lakes and forced them into the water to freeze to death。 They committed thousands of acts of torture and dismemberment。 There was also a "medical research" section that performed gruesome experiments on Chinese civilians， injecting them with poisons and venoms and vivisecting them， and which destroyed all records and was only revealed afterwards by the testimony of a captured Japanese officer。And then there were the women。 Rape has happened in the aftermath of every captured city in history， but the Japanese turned Nanking into a city-wide orgy of nonstop gang rapes。 When Chang refers to the entire event as "the Rape，" it's not really figurative。 Girls younger than 8， women older than 60， the Japanese herded women into streets and gang-raped them in broad daylight， raped women and girls literally to death， kept thousands as sex slaves， and killed any who resisted， killed any family members who tried to defend them， and often killed them anyway when they were done with them。 There are numerous stories of pregnant women being raped， then bayoneted and their fetuses torn out of their bellies。 The Japanese also forced fathers to rape their daughters， sons to rape their mothers， families to watch as every female from little girls to grandmothers were raped。What is perhaps most chilling in the aftermath is that Chang couldn't find a single instance of a Chinese woman admitting to having had a half-Japanese child， in the entire historical record。 What she did find was appalling suicide rates and a lot of babies strangled at birth。The Rape of Nanking catalogs these atrocities， lots of them。 Although describing the hell that Nanking went through might serve a purpose in itself， it would be of little historical value just to itemize the horrors unless there was something else to take away from this。Chang tries to offer some explanations for what caused Japanese military discipline to break down so badly， but the hard truth seems to be that it wasn't a breakdown: it was by design。 All along their path to Nanking， the Japanese had been told that it was going to be open season on Chinese civilians。 One of the more salacious stories is the infamous "Killing contest" between two IJA lieutenants， reported in Japanese newspapers。 This contest was later disputed， with the descendants of the named lieutenants even suing （unsuccessfully） for slander， but regardless of whether two officers had a friendly little contest to see who could behead more Chinese on the way to Nanking， it was clear that this sort of behavior was not just allowed， but encouraged。Chang spends some time talking about the harsh indoctrination of the Japanese military， in which enlisted men were regularly beaten by officers and had to stand there and take it。 Brutal hazing was a way of life， and it started in childhood under Japan's military dictatorship， so by the time these soldiers reached Nanking， they had spent much of their lives being relentlessly abused， and then turned loose on a helpless civilian population they'd been taught to think of as less than human。 There is some evidence that the general in charge of the army （who was not even present during the initial occupation） was shocked and horrified by what happened， but less to his credit， he later spent more time trying to cover it up and then to deflect blame away from Prince Asaka， the Imperial commander who may or may not have ordered the pillaging， and certainly did nothing to stop it。The Westerners Who Tried to InterveneAt the time the Japanese captured Nanking， there were a number of Westerners， mostly Germans and Americans， in the city。 They established the "Nanjing Safety Zone，" in which hundreds of thousands of Chinese took shelter。Japan was not yet at war with the United States， but they definitely didn't view the Americans as friendly。 The Germans on the other hand were Japanese allies， and this led to one of the most ironic stories of the Nanking massacre: the heroic Nazi whom Chang calls the Oskar Schindler of Nanking。John Rabe was the leader of the Nazi Party in Nanking。 Yet it's not an exaggeration to say he probably saved literally hundreds of thousands of Chinese lives。 While keeping the Nanjing Safety Zone open， Rabe took in as many refugees as he could， sheltering them （especially women） everywhere — in his house and at his workplace。 He and his fellow Nazis found that displaying their Nazi armbands were often enough to deter Japanese soldiers， even as they interrupted them in the middle of an act of rape。He left Nanking shortly after the occupation， promising the Chinese that he would appeal directly to der Führer on their behalf。 And then he disappeared from history， until Iris Chang， researching this book， tracked down his family and learned the rest of the story。Rabe really did make it back to Germany， and he really did send a letter to Hitler about the Rape of Nanking， asking the Führer to intercede with Japan for the hapless Chinese。This makes Rabe's granddaughter's claim that he was a Nazi because he believed in National Socialism but that he never knew about atrocities against the Jews， actually believable。 Rabe got a visit from the Gestapo for his trouble， and was basically told to shut up。 After the war， he and his family spent a few years in brutal poverty。 Rabe was interrogated first by the Soviets， then by the British， and for a long time was denied "de-Nazification" that would have allowed him to find employment， because of his Nazi party leadership back in Nanking。 Eventually the story of his humanitarian efforts convinced the committee to remove his black mark， and the people of Nanking， upon learning that Rabe had fallen on hard times， sent him money and care packages。 Rabe died in 1950， still in poverty。 It was only as a result of Iris Chang's research that his family finally decided to publish his memoirs （it had always been problematic to try to tell the story of a "good Nazi"）Robert Wilson was an American physician who ended up being one of the only doctors in Nanking。 He was at one point literally the only person providing medical care to Chinese in the city， in the last surviving hospital， which was regularly being bombed。 He worked around the clock to exhaustion， and when he wasn't treating injured civilians， he literally drove around the city rescuing Chinese women from rape。 Being a Westerner kept him from getting shot， but only barely。He later testified before the International Military Tribunal for the Far East。 He died in 1967， still suffering physically and mentally from his experiences in China。Minnie Vautrin was an American missionary。 Like John Rabe and Robert Wilson， she created refuges for Chinese civilians in the International Safety Zone， and did her best to protect women from rape， often as Japanese soldiers with trucks would drive directly up to the Women's College where she worked and demand girls。 She kept a diary of the atrocities she witnessed， and personally saved hundreds， possibly thousands of lives。 Like Robert Wilson， she more than once put herself in front of Japanese rifles to shield people， and was on a few occasions slapped by angry Japanese soldiers。In 1940， she had a nervous breakdown and returned to the United States for medical treatment。 The friend who sailed with her had to repeatedly keep her from throwing herself overboard。 She was hospitalized， received electroshock therapy， and committed suicide a year later。The Author Who BrokeThe Rape of Nanking has been criticized in some quarters （mostly Japanese） as being polemical and unbalanced。 I don't think that's fair， but it's definitely not objective。 Chang wasn't trying to be "fair" to the Japanese or tell "both sides。"I noticed immediately that one of Chang's primary sources on Japanese history and culture was Ruth Benedict's The Chrysanthemum and the Sword， an anthropological study written in 1946 that was the first in a genre of "books explaining Japan to Westerners。" It was a bestseller in the United States and Japan in the 1950s， but it's had its share of criticism as well， and by 1997， when Chang wrote The Rape of Nanking， she could certainly have found some less dated references。It's clear that Chang was outraged as she wrote this book， and she is not sparing of the Japanese。 While carefully disaverring that there was anything inherent in the Japanese character to cause the atrocities， and separating the Japanese people from Japanese society， Chang rails in the last section of the book about the Japanese government's continued （at least up to the 1990s） refusal to acknowledge what had happened。 She talks about how Japanese textbooks to that time barely mentioned any of Japan's war crimes， or indeed that Japan had even been an aggressor in World War II， and the pervasive national amnesia on the subject， the nationalist right wing's threats against any who criticized the actions of Japan during the war， and outright denials by Japanese writers and politicians that the Nanjing Massacre even happened。 She compares Germany's reparations over the Holocaust with Japan's lack of any form of reparations for their crimes， and points out how many Japanese soldiers， all the way up to Imperial officers， who admitted committing atrocities or at least being aware of them， escaped punishment。 She is definitely on Team "Hirohito was a war criminal。"This was personal for her， and Chang was obviously very， very angry。After reading it， it is hard not to be revolted， outraged， and yes， angry that a single person involved in this atrocity could have been allowed to walk around a free man enjoying life。 It's easy to see how working on this book for years， traveling to Nanking to speak to survivors， looking at all those photographs of dead women with bayonets shoved up their vaginas， piles of severed heads， and children burned alive， could， well， unhinge someone。（continued in comments） 。。。more
Hong
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It is eye-opening providing readers an insight on what happened during Nanjing massacre in 1937， and how a normal human can turn into a sadistic killer one might call a devil。 It easily starts by looking at the other person as less than a human being。。。 This， by no mean， is an easy read。 There are photographs， memoirs， interviews that might not only shock but make you sick to your stomach， to merely imagine that these cruelty between humans happened for real。 It made me depressed for days and I It is eye-opening providing readers an insight on what happened during Nanjing massacre in 1937， and how a normal human can turn into a sadistic killer one might call a devil。 It easily starts by looking at the other person as less than a human being。。。 This， by no mean， is an easy read。 There are photographs， memoirs， interviews that might not only shock but make you sick to your stomach， to merely imagine that these cruelty between humans happened for real。 It made me depressed for days and I still remember some details vividly after 15 years passed by。 I can't imagine how the author would have felt dealing with these evidences and articles for long。One of those insightful historical books I think that everyone old enough should read， then pass on to the next generation， in order to never let things happened in Nanking happen anywhere ever again。。。though I also feel little guilty deliberately recommending this bitter reading experience to you。 。。。more
Dave
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