What I Liked
This book is brutal to read. Truly, the descriptions of torture, mass murder, and rape were so hard to stomach that I often had to put it down for hours at a time. But this book is so important.

I had no idea. A few weeks ago, I read Shanghai Girls by Lisa See and that was the first I'd ever heard of the atrocities committed during the Rape of Nanking. How could I learn in school about the mass killings of Native Americans, the genocide in Rwanda, the holocaust of the Jews, and so on, and then have this massive case of genocide and brutality completely erased from modern history? It amazes me... and I am thankful for Chang's research into this subject, despite the obviously heavy toll it took on her, to make sure the world knew of this tragedy and that we won't repeat it.

What I Didn't Like
Chang felt venom towards the Japanese. Her grandparents had to flee Nanking during this time. I understand that Japan hurt Chang's people - even her family - but as an objective history book, while she tried to put a few Japanese into a fair light, her venom often flashed through the narrative.