Reviews

Nanjing: The Burning City by Ethan Young

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alyssabookrecs's review against another edition

4.0

My time living in Nanjing was special, and learning more about the Nanjing Massacre made me realize that this needs to be taught in schools worldwide and that it is a major disservice not to. If you ever find yourself in Nanjing, take the time to visit the Nanjing Massacre Memorial. If you find yourself there on December 13th, you can share the collective moment of silence for the hundreds of thousands of lives lost. Ethan Young’s Nanjing: The Burning City is a good start to exposing yourself to the brutality the Japanese inflicted on Nanjing residents. Major trigger warning for war, war crimes, sexual assault, etc.

sducharme's review against another edition

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4.0

Black and white historical graphic novel about the battle at Nanjing and two Chinese soldiers who are trying to escape a town occupied by the Japanese. There are some rough references to the mass rapes that occurred but this will be suitable in the high school collection. I enjoyed the extra feature about the end about the writer/illustrator's process.

kamckim's review against another edition

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4.0

This graphic novel does a great job of giving human faces to soldiers from both China and Japan during the seizure and massacre of Nanjing. The soldiers portrayed use strong language, but nothing in the book is gratuitous. The characters are carefully drawn, and Young's use of panels to deliver close ups of their faces is well-done. In fact, this technique delivers the emotional impact of the story. If anyone is interested in learning about this atrocity, this book would set a nice context.

stormblessed4's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

choicepotatoes_202312025's review against another edition

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dark tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

tiffym's review against another edition

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4.0

I really love history through graphic novels. It makes the connection personal when you can (vicariously) see the destruction to cities, humans, and personal psyche. Nanjing is a topic that is rarely discussed in regards to World War II. Even my students, who live in Asia, never heard of it. To me, this comic isn't just a story. It's an educational tool that can teach personal loss and grief to an entire young generation.