The Rape of Nanking by Iris Chang

7.5 out of 10

In 1937, the Japanese Imperial Army perpetrated a horrific massacre claiming the lives of over 300,000 residents of Nanking. The city was swiftly conquered in only four days because the Chinese National Army had abandoned it. During the initial months of occupation, the streets ran red with blood as violence pervaded every corner.

All WWII militaries engaged in total war. The Nazis grotesquely pursued genocide. The British and Americans bombed civilians. Nanking was part of Japan's brutal assault on East Asia, but it stands apart for its scale.

Drawing from survivors' testimonies, Chang unveils the harrowing realities of the carnage. She also highlights the ongoing denial and evasion of responsibility by the Japanese government, which seeks to erase this atrocity from the annals of history.