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Graphic: Death, Gore, Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail
Firstly, I have to commend Iris Chang's tireless research. She and those that assisted her did so much work to make sure the events in Nanking were told with accuracy and clarity. She had to utilize documents and interviews from 5 different languages! She did not leave any stone unturned, even taking time to talk about those that tried to help during the massacre. I learned later that it was she who uncovered the journals of John Rabe, and she contributed a legendary amount of information to research about Nanking.
Secondly, I appreciate the fact that, while this book did not spare details about the atrocities experienced by the people of Nanking at the hands of the Japanese imperial soldiers, the book wasn't filled to the brim with horrific event after horrific event. Chang takes time to showcase what she's taken away from her research beyond the knowledge and much-deserved acknowledgement of the victims.
She extends to us a warning -- of the dangers of imperialism, dehumanization, propaganda, authoritarianism, and cultural hegemony.
In doing so, Chang bravely calls out the Japanese government and all those complicit in not only the events of Nanking but the subsequent propaganda campaign to erase the evidence, something that caused her to receive death threats and endless streams of hate mail.* To this day, the Japanese government still denies its actions in Nanking, the hundreds of thousands of victims, and thousands of trafficked comfort women from China (and many other countries not mentioned here). Even in the rare cases that the events are admitted, they are endlessly justified and defended by ultra-nationalists.
Chang's meticulous research and empathetic viewpoint make this book, as unenjoyable as the content is, accessible and deeply powerful.
*This book made me look into Iris Chang's life a little more, and what I learned was moving to me so I wanted to share it here. Beyond this book, Chang was an incredibly powerful activist for the plight of the Chinese victims of the war, and Chinese American issues in general. Seven years after this book was published, she (TW)
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Minor: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Incest, Cannibalism
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Moderate: Cannibalism
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While China today is not perfect, may we never forget the victims, women and children of the massacre of Nanking. May America atone for being complicit in sweeping the actions of the Japanese under the rug, and may the Japanese never forget their past crimes.
RIP Iris Chang
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