China鈥檚 role in World War II is almost forgotten today. But as many as 20 million Chinese died in the conflict, more deaths than the US, Japan, Great Britain, and Germany combined. The Japanese barbarity towards Chinese civilians was remarkable even by the standards of the worst war in history. The Rape of Nanking by Iris Chang (Basic Books, 1997) is the story of the massacre that followed Japan鈥檚 1937 capture of that city. In just four days, some 200,000 people were slaughtered. A few historians have criticized the book for inaccuracies, but Chang dramatically increased attention of the horrific event and China鈥檚 role in the conflict.
