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A review by utopiastateofmind
The Rape of Nanking: The Forgotten Holocaust of World War II by Iris Chang
5.0
Please read the trigger warnings before you read! I listened to this on audio and it was INTENSE. Like I thought I had a grip on the warnings, but having it read out loud to me, made it even more emotional.
What was so moving about this book was not only the actual atrocities committed, or the ways that these crimes were covered up, but the chilling reminder that if we let these events become forgotten it sets a dangerous precedent. That we cannot allow the history of these events to die with those who remember. It's a testament to the ways history can so easily be erased. How these events can become footnotes and disappear. It's a comprehensive nonfiction book about how the atrocities unfold and, importantly, what it shows about humanity. About the prejudices and cruelties. The greed, mistakes, and silences. Those who control history are the ones who can decide who the enemy is. How politics and money can erase blood and corpses. And, most importantly, how the echoes of this are still rippling today. I would highly recommend this nonfiction read (recommended to me by Lily) if you can handle the trigger warnings. It's a book that details teh importance of memory.
What was so moving about this book was not only the actual atrocities committed, or the ways that these crimes were covered up, but the chilling reminder that if we let these events become forgotten it sets a dangerous precedent. That we cannot allow the history of these events to die with those who remember. It's a testament to the ways history can so easily be erased. How these events can become footnotes and disappear. It's a comprehensive nonfiction book about how the atrocities unfold and, importantly, what it shows about humanity. About the prejudices and cruelties. The greed, mistakes, and silences. Those who control history are the ones who can decide who the enemy is. How politics and money can erase blood and corpses. And, most importantly, how the echoes of this are still rippling today. I would highly recommend this nonfiction read (recommended to me by Lily) if you can handle the trigger warnings. It's a book that details teh importance of memory.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Racism, Gore, Murder, Torture, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence