The Rape of Nanking
By Iris Chang
Book Review
Iris Chang
It’s been awhile since I’ve felt such a deep and profound sadness while reading a book. The Rape of Nanking is a historical recounting of the Japanese invasion of Nanking (a major Chinese city) during World War II, probably one of the most horrific events of the war. I did not know much about it until I stumbled across this book, which goes to show that history can be pretty biased when it comes to covering certain topics over others. The Rape of Nanking reminds us that we need to take the extra effort to educate ourselves and learn from our past, or some truths may be lost forever.
Iris Chang breaks down the book into multiple parts to provide as thorough an overview as possible. She gives voice to perspectives from the Japanese military, the Chinese civilians, and the foreigners (Americans/Germans, etc.) who were in the city at the time and were visual witnesses. Towards the end, she also summarizes the after-effects of the invasion and the world’s response (or lack thereof) to it years down the line. What impacted me the most was definitely the descriptions of murder and rape, because it was so shocking and almost mind-numbingly sad. But almost equally as disturbing was the fact that Japan didn’t really cover up or hide the Nanking invasion while it was happening…and then years down the line, got away with a light slap on the wrist for political reasons. Now, their war atrocities are rarely covered in history books, and are at risk of being forgotten altogether. It’s really thought-provoking and upsetting.
In conclusion…
Overall, I found this to be very compelling and thorough. I think Iris Chang’s passion for the subject really shines through, as she seeks to give a voice to the victims and the heroes of this mostly forgotten event. I really appreciated reading the additional afterward written by Chang’s husband. He shares his memory of Chang and also provides his thoughts on why her mental health suffered a steep decline. It’s so tragic that we lost such a passionate and amazing writer so soon...but her legacy will definitely live on with this book!
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/95784.The_Rape_of_Nanking