Rape of Nanking: Forgotten Holocaust of World War II by Iris Chang
	List Price:   $16.00 Unit Price:   $12.80 You Save:   $3.20 (20%) ISBN-10:   0140277447 ISBN-13:   9780140277449 Publisher:   Penguin Group (USA) Inc Category:   Young Adults Pub. Date:   November 1998 Pages:   336 Format:   Paperback Ages:   18 to Grades:   12 to
Awards
1998  New York Times Notable Books of the Year  Winner!  2006  American Library Association Notable Books  Winner!  2006  Aventis Prizes for Science Books  Nominee/Honoree  2006  California Book Awards  Nominee/Honoree  2007  Great Lakes Book Awards  Winner!
Subjects
CHINA_HISTORY_1937-1949 MASSACRES NANKING SINO-JAPANESE CONFLICT, 1937-1945 WORLD WAR, 1939-1945_CHINA ATROCITIES
Description/Notes
In December 1937, the Japanese army swept into the ancient city of Nanking. Within weeks, more than 300,000 Chinese civilians were systematically raped, tortured, and murdered-a death toll exceeding that of the atomic blasts of Hiroshima and Nagasaki combined. Using extensive interviews with survivors and newly discovered documents, Iris Chang has written what will surely be the definitive history of this horrifying episode. The Rape of Nanking tells the story from three perspectives: of the Japanese soldiers who performed it, of the Chinese civilians who endured it, and of a group of Europeans and Americans who refused to abandon the city and were able to create a safety zone that saved almost 300,000 Chinese. Among these was the Nazi John Rabe, an unlikely hero whom Chang calls the 'Oskar Schindler of China' and who worked tirelessly to protect the innocent and publicize the horror. More than just narrating the details of an orgy of violence, The Rape of Nanking analyzes the militaristic culture that fostered in the Japanese soldiers a total disregard for human life. Finally, it tells the appalling story: about how the advent of the Cold War led to a concerted effort on the part of the West and even the Chinese to stifle open discussion of this atrocity. Indeed, Chang characterizes this conspiracy of silence, that persists to this day, as 'a second rape.' During November 1937, in the space of seven weeks Japanese troops murdered more than a quarter of a million Chinese civilians. Iris Chang's examination of the incident throws into relief the fact that Japan has never apologised for it. The Forgotten Story of One of History's Most Brutal Massacres In December 1937, the Japanese army swept into the ancient city of Nanking. Within weeks, more than 300,000 Chinese civilians and soldiers were systematically raped, tortured, and murdered-a death toll exceeding that of the atomic blasts of Hiroshima and Nagasaki combined. Using extensive interviews with survivors and newly discovered documents, Iris Chang has written the definitive history of this horrifying episode. The Rape of Nanking tells the story 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. Among the heroes was the German John Rabe, a Nazi, whose diaries Chang discovered and whom she calls the 'Oskar Schindler of China.' More than just narrating the details of an orgy of violence, The Rape of Nanking analyzes the militaristic culture that fostered in the Japanese soldiers a total disregard for human life. It also tells of the concerted effort during the Cold War on the part of the West and even China to stifle open discussion of this atrocity. This 'New York Times' national bestseller recounts the forgotten story of the brutal massacre of 300,000 Chinese civilians by the Japanese army. 'Anyone interested in the relation between war, self-righteousness, and the human spirit will find 'The Rape of Nanking' of fundamental importance'.--Ross Terrill, author of 'China in Our Time'. of photos.