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4.0 

The Rape of Nanking

By Iris Chang
The Rape of Nanking by Iris Chang digital book - Fable

Publisher Description

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.

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1352 Reviews

4.0
Anxious Face with sweat“For the first non fiction book I've read since I was a kid this was powerful. Could have probably picked something a little less intense but a situation so horrific is something worth learning about. Although tons of terrible things happened there are parts of this story that show an incredible amount of human kindness and human strength to help in time of extreme terror and violence. High Recommend.”
Loudly Crying Face“Everyone needs to read these horrendous histories to help shape a better future for us all.”
Loudly Crying Face“Such a brutal and harrowing book. I had to read it in chunks just due to how horrifically graphic it is. But I think it’s important to describe these things in detail so hopefully societies can learn from past mistakes and ensure they aren’t repeated in the future. I highly recommend everyone read this because it’s an important part of history that’s still basically unknown to the average person.”

About Iris Chang

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. 

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