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Summary: Why stirring lowly emotion by a vile illusion?
Review: Ms. Chang's book consists of the 4th and the 5th class sourcedocuments only and there is NONE of proofs of the incidents displayedin this book. It is quite amazing some "professional readers" can give this high marks. Nanking was not a forgotten holocaust but a rejected illusion among several Western reporters (including Mr. Rabe). Who rejected it? The contemporary Chinese authority did for a decade following the incident and that is all what the history tells on the 1st class source documents(in English as well). I am a Japanese and love and respect Chinese classics, but Ms. Chang's book doesn't inspire any particle of the greatness of them. Where is common sense gone? It is rather painful to see some can be swayed by this kind of lowly emotion so easily.
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Summary: Incredible story of one of the world's most unknown horrors.
Review: Iris Chang has done the world a great service by writing this, heretofore, forgotten history. Although mentioned in the history books, the full impact of the Japanese atrocities have remained unrecognized. How could a holocaust of such magnitude go under-reported? Modern society owes Ms. Chang a dept of gratitude for forcing this issue to the front. The even greater mystery is how Japan has not been forced to admit to, and apologize for, the unspeakable criminal acts committed by the Imperial Japanese Army during the period 1937-45. The US government, in conjunction with all of the world's law abiding nations, must demand Japan own up to, and apologize for, the war crimes committed in WW2. Why Japan has escaped rebuke would be an excellent topic for another book. An excellent book, heartbreaking in details. A must for students of this era.
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Summary: There is a great historical lesson to learn in this case.
Review: As someone who was born and grew up in Nanking (now spelled as Nanjing), I am very grateful to Iris Chang for her great courage to write this book. As it is always the case, the first book on an important subject may not be the best-written one, but it is extremely important to bring up the subject to the attention of the general public. Hopefully, better-written books on the same subject will soon come along. I have never thought that this massacre could have been such a best-kept secret in the English-speaking world. There is at least as much to learn about why it was so as to know more about the massacre itself. There is a great historical lesson to learn in this case. We should ask ourselves why history has been distorted for so long. We need to look around to see if any other period in history has been misrepresented. For those who want to learn about what has really happened to the city of Nanking after the massacre during the past sixty years, I offer my own book, Thirty Years in a Red House, a Memoir of Childhood and Youth in Communist China, recently published by the University of Massachusetts Press. As we are now living in the Information Age, we should not let our recent history be best-kept secret or misrepresented again. A great history book is the one that has more or less changed the prevailing views. For that reason, I salute to Iris Chang for a great job done.
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Summary: Geraldo Does the Holocaust! Biff! Bang!
Review: Like all atrocity stories, the events in Nanking are so horrific that they speak for themselves. Unfortunately for the reader, Iris Chang doesn't believe this. She keeps telling us that the actions of the Japanese were barbaric! etc. Starting with the introduction, she inserts herself into the book in a self-congratulatory manner that trivializes the tragedy she is writing about. And then there is the bizarre structural problem - history told Rashomon style. Doesn't work here.These comments may be viewed as unduly harsh since Chang has indeed done a service in resurrecting this story. But simply because a book is about a worthy subject does not mean that the book is inherently good.
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Summary: This book changes the debate
Review: A few years ago there were some who wanted to present Japan as the victim of aggression, trying to preserve its way of life. Now comes a young writer, who, while not discussing the above concepts, provides a different picture of the Japanese. In Nanking, the killing of so many by sword and rifle can only be described as barbaric. The debate must now consider the official policy of Imperial Japan towards the conquered peoples of Asia. A superb book that should be read by everyone interested in supporting human rights.
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Summary: The darkest moment in history Japan does not want to admit
Review: Without Iris Chang's persistent pursuit of truth, the 300,000 Chinese murdered or raped by the Japanese during the Nanking massacre sixty one years ago would have soon been forgotten. John Rabe, Oskar Schindler of China, would not have his brightest moments he deserved after saving thousands of Chinese lives during these barbaric Japanese crimes. This book and a recently published book, "The Good Man of Nanking: The Diaries of John Rabe", will be the classic of world histories. The truth detailed by Iris Chang and John Rabe will eventually force Japan to admit one of the worst holocausts in human history Japanese has willfully committed.
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Summary: Proof that reality is more horrifying than fiction.
Review: Ms. Chang's book unrelentingly details the Japanese aggression in Nanking. For this she has been attacked and criticized by members of the Japanese right wing. She did the world a great service at a great personal risk. While it is undeniable that the Japanese military committed unspeakable horrors, we must remember (as Ms. Chang has also indicated), no race can claim to be free from committing comparable cruelties. Her work is an indictment on all of us. History has proven that we are all capable in descending to the lowest level of depravity. Only with a book like this can we guard against repeating the same tragedies.
Rating: 
Summary: Overrated because of topic.
Review: To be honest, this book is severely overrated because others want to comment on the incident and the importance of bringing it up, rather than the actual merits of the book. I was very dissappointed. The toning down of the incidents through 'telling' not 'showing' provides literature newspaper dry. To fully personalize the incidents, Ms. Chang needed to introduce the individuals in a less distant manner. That would have true impact. You need to care about the people in the book. "A woman." or even a named individual without presenting a person as more than words is needed to present such material to the public.
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Summary: A Personal Wake-up Call and to The World
Review: Reading 'The Rape of Nanking', along with the events that led to the purchase of the book, I couldn't help but remember the similar stories told by my parents and by relatives of that generation. Like Ms. Chang, those stories had become distant and vague since heard from childhood. Looking back at China's history before and during the WWII era, Japan had caused countless atrocities throughout China such as Shanghai and the many villages both before and after the Nanking Massacre. There is no doubt that most if not every Chinese from the last two generations had lived through it either as victims or as witnesses to the Japanese's beastly acts. Why then does it take so long for someone to voice it to the world and how then can Japan deny the facts of history and the many voices of the survivors and witnesses. One only need to turn to a Chinese from the last generation or two and will most likely hear first hand accounts of Japanese abuses to the Chinese. It's been a piece of history that's been far too long ignored and I'm glad that Iris Chang had re-opened that episode to bring it into the light and remind us that aside from our daily challenges, we must not forget the past which holds many lessons that we must learn from. The Rape of Nanking is a piece of work that's astounding, gripping and enlightening. It will cause the reader to have among other emotional outbursts, anger, shame and helplessness not only because of the denials of Japan, the many Japanese products we now own and how we can bring the Japanese war criminals to justice in a timely manner but also in other aspects throughout the book. Being Thanksgiving, it's only appropriate to give my thanks to Iris Chang because she did something about it, and the least I can and will definitely do is to circulate and recommend this book to as many people as possible.
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Summary: Finally---A Book on the Slaughter of Chinese in WWII!!
Review: I first learned of the Holocaust in China and the atrocities from my parents. Later, compelled by curiosity, I went on the Internet to gather more information on the subject. I learned that this event in history is quite forgotten and that it's been met with indifference. I laud Iris Chang for writing this book. Powerful, true, and descriptive, she tries to sear this black age of history in the reader's mind. While looking at the pictures, I almost vomited. It made me wonder, as Iris Chang did, why the Japanese would do such a thing? After reading that the Japanese denied such a thing, I was shocked. I believe this book is a classic of history, despite maybe some literary flaws. It is a bitter reminder of the murderous event, and I hope it will open other peoples' minds.
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