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Rekviem Za Nanking (2013)

by Ha Jin(Favorite Author)

3.24 of 5 Votes: 5

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

Odeon

review 1: I picked this book up in an airport because I knew I would be going to China. I finished it sitting at LAX waiting for a flight to Guangzhou. The book is about when, in 1937, Japanese troops took control of the Chinese capital of Nanjing from the Nationalist army of Chiang Kai-shek. The Japanese literally "cry Havoc, and let slip the dogs of war" on Nanjing. In just the starting weeks of the occupation Japanese soldiers killed over 250,000 men, women and children and 20,000 women and girls were raped. As the weeks went on these numbers escalated. The tale was abhorent and a reminder of the how the evils of war transcend time, but the book was not particularly engaging, the characters wooden, and frankly I really couldn't wait for it to end.
review 2: Narrat... moreed by Angela Lin, this novel reveals yet another dark period in human history, the Japanese invasion and occupation of Nanjing. It is told from the point of view of a Chinese assistant to Minnie Vautrin, dean of Jinling's Women's College who stayed throughout the horrific events. I was impressed by how despite terrible devastation, there is resilience, survival, and life goes on..for some. Ha Jin incorporates some jarring American idioms/colloquial expressions that don't fit the time period. I thought his detailed research overpowered character development. less

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