The Rape of Nanking: The Forgotten Holocaust of World War II

Iris Chang

Mar 2014 · Sold by Basic Books

About this ebook

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, "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.

Ratings and reviews

What got my attention the most is the introduction, in which she mentions history's major atrocities, except for the worst one of all. The largest act of mass murder in history was done by Chairman Mao and his Communist Chinese. I assume she needed cooperation from the Chinese when she was doing research for this book. I still have one third of the book to read though.

An informative read on a hidden truth. Iris doesn't sugarcoat the gruesome, heartbreaking details. I want to know how Japan is treating this massacre 2 decades after this publication!

Suoerb book, and she died so young very tragically! Japan, unlike Germany, NEVER appologized for WW2 atrocities, nor many War Criminals captured, and tried in a Nuremberg type trial.

About the author

Iris Chang (1968-2004) lived and worked in California. A graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana, she was the recipient of the John T. and Catherine D. MacArthur Foundation's Program on Peace and International Cooperation award, as well as major grants from the National Science Foundation, the Pacific Cultural Foundation, and the Harry Truman Library.