Customer Reviews

THE GOOD MAN OF NANKING: The Diaries of John Rabe

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First and foremost, one should question the reason why a book is written. Is there a hidden agenda? When dealing with a sensitive subject such as Nanking, it is best to keep an eye open for any biased style that could be behind the book.

This was written by someone who was present at the time the Japanese occupied Nanking. That someone was a man named John Rabe. He was a German businessman who was a manager of a Siemans company branch, and was warned by his superiors to leave Nanking at once. However he didn't heed their warning and decided to stay at his home because he felt that he would've abandoned his 30 years with the company and his Chinese staff members and helpers whom he called his extended family if he did. So John Rabe would stay to witness and document all that happened in Nanking in his personal diaries.

The book gives some background on Rabe, a little bit about the war, his role at Nanking in establishing an "International Safety Zone" for what grew to save the lives of 250,000 Chinese civilians. The book closes with period where he finally goes home to his native Germany. Sadly enough, he dies in poverty though he was promised a fortune if he testified in the War Crime Tribunal against the Japanese army. But he declinded because he thought if anyone should punish those who participated in the slaughter at Nanking, it "should be the Japanese goverment itself."

While in Nanking, Rabe writes candidly not from reflection years later, but with the clarity of the events happening daily. He sees and documents:
- women being indiscriminately raped. Even 60 year old women were raped. After being raped, they were often killed with bayonettes slashing their throats or stabbed into their abdomens. Sometimes pregant women were killed and their fetus ripped out. There were also cases of soliders ramming bottles and other objects into the women's vaginas. If a woman wasn't singlehandly raped by one soldier, there were groups of soldiers who would often take turns raping a woman.
- ordinary civilians being killed, despite claims that only Chinese soldiers were to be killed. Whole families were often massacred and babies were not spared.
- groups of people being machine gunned at a time, and when the Japanese soldiers thought it would rouse too much suspicion from Rabe, they began to use quieter methods such as using bayonettes.
- live Chinese men being tied to poles and their bodies used for bayonette practice
- whole families or groups of people being locked inside a house and burned to death.
- individuals being doused with gasoline and set afire
- numerous ponds in Nanking being contaminated with decomposing bodies and streets were littered with bodies. Rabe and another organization, had to plead and ask permission from the Japanese soldiers in order for them to bury the bodies themselves.
- even those who were of a very peaceful and harmless nature were murdered. Monks and abbots of a nearby Buddhist monestary were killed; thier bodies dumped into a pit.

Despite some of the cases above, Rabe spares many gruesome details. He just writes the facts and often leaves out any personal feelings towards the Japanese. It would be easy to assume he is a neutral man without wanting to harbor any bad feelings towards anyone. That was his intention. Rabe also writes with a style that is the modesty of someone who wouldn't know how important his diaries would be. For instance, he writes "Everyone thinks I'm a hero, and that can be very annoying; for I can see nothing heroic about me or within me." Rabe didn't intend for this diaries to be published. In fact, his diaries were left to his family after his death, and they even considered throwing them away because of all the "bad things it contained." He hoped above all that international relations would improve.

John Rabe presents the unbiased truth of what happened at Nanking. He even states himself that it "is not his intention to engage in anti-Japanese propaganda, nor arouse pro-Chinese sentiments." Readers should also take this position. Books like this are meant to describe history as how it happened. He documents events with accuracy of time, location, and description of incidents. He was there and witnessed events with his own eyes. This book gives an unbiased look and is a good book for anyone who is willing to submerge themselves into a world of hostility that was Nanking in 1937-38.

This is the outstanding testimony of the witness of the Nanking atrocity, though he was limited to move around only in the safety zone except some occasions. Rabe describes what happens around him day by day, before and after the fall of Nanking by the Japanese. The Nanking diary by George A. Fitch, from December 17 to the new year's day in 1938, parallels to Rabe's diary and they have no conflicts with each other. Fitch's Nanking diary anonymously appeared in H.J.Timperley's "Japanese Terror in China" published in 1938, which was translated in Japanese in the same year and read by limited numbers of Japanese, and then in Reader's Digest of July 1938. Fitch wrote in his "My Eighty Years In China" published by Mei. Ya Publications in Taiwan, "The DIGEST story brought such a storm of protest from readers who thought "unbelievable" that three months later the editors published excerpts from my diary and those of others who went through the occupation, which verified my observations."(P103) But if you compare with these three books each other , I'm sure you'll find Timperley, Fitch and Rabe tried to tell us the true stories which occurred in Nanking. Among these books, Rabe's diary is overwhelming in its volume and historical values. I recommend "Good Man of Nanking" to all who are interested in Sino-Japanese conflict and the Nanking massacre. "Eighty Years In China" with the Nanking Diary is still available at online antique book shops."Japanese Terror in China" is rare.

It's embarassing how some Japanese reviewers, like Hiromi below, still would pretend that the Nanking massacre never happened. Reading the diaries, Rabe actually himself revealed he saved Chinese many times from certain death; his own courtyard is a haven for fleeing refugees. He mentions first-hand many times indiscriminate killings, gang-rapes, and the havoc witnessed by not just himself, but also by the majority of the Westerners remaining in the city who had to intervene personally to save lives. He sees bodies of civilians lying everywhere, often disbowelled, including children, often left to rot. He documents that he wants to remain as an "eyewitness" to these atrocities (check out the appendix, for instance). The only way to counteract these lies is to read the book itself, and to determine yourself the integrity of some Japanese reviewers who so-called "read" the book. Don't just take my word for it - read the book. Highly recommended.

John Rabe was a German businessman, living and working in Nanking when the Japanese invaded and conquered the city in 1937. Rabe had lived in China for 30 years and had risen to the position of senior agent for the German conglomerate, Siemens. He was tasked with selling industrial equipment to the Chinese government, enabling the construction and maintenance of electrical, water, phone, and health care facilities.

As it became clear that Nanking would fall quickly to the invading Japanese army, most Westerners, including Rabe's wife, left for Hong Kong or other safer locations. Rabe chose to stay in Nanking, feeling it his duty to look out for the interests of Siemens and its local stafff. Realizing that Nanking was essentially indefensible and that the Japanese army was bent on ruthless behavior, Rabe and some others, mostly American missionaries, formed an organization to protect refugees and non-combatants.

Rabe was named the head of this International Committee and set out to build international support for the formation of a refugee zone. Ultimately more than 200,000 residents of Nanking were housed in this refugee zone, including about 600 on the grounds of Rabe's own home. Rabe fought the good fight with building support for the zone, communicating regularly with all the embassies and officials, even writing to Hitler at one point. Many attribute the International Committee's work with saving thousands of Chinese lives.

This book is primarily Rabe's diaries. He made entries nearly every day during the 4 months in 1937-1938 that he was in Nanking under Japanese domination. Some additional information to explain the historical context is provided by the author. Rabe quit writing diaries during the war, then restarted with the fall of Berlin.

Rabe spares no detail to describe the inhumane behavior of the Japanese army in Nanking, often including officers. The most horrible rapes, tortures, and murders became commonplace. Japanese soldiers raped young girls with their parents watching, then murdered the lot with bayonets. Nearly every building was looted several times, then frequently burned with the inhabitants inside.

Since Japan and Germany were already allied at this time, Japanese soldiers would give Rabe himself some respect, especially when he waved his Nazi armband and flew his Nazi flag. The other Westerners suffered more, as the Japanese showed no respect for the American or British flags or embassies.

Like many Germans living abroad in the 1930's, Rabe was a Nazi party member. He seems unaware of Nazi atrocities or vile actions, and joined the party primarily because doing so enabled German government financial support for a school that he helped establish in China.

The parallels to Oskar Schindler are clear. Both were party members who accomplished great humanitarian goals in a difficult time. One could draw the distinction that unlike Rabe, Schindler was aware of Nazi atrocities and probably benefited financially from his wartime activities.

Rabe came to regret his Nazi party membership upon his return to Germany. As a party member, after the war he was generally unable to work. At times, the Siemens corporation and individual excecutives would do small favors for Rabe. Very late in his life, he was de-Nazified.

Rabe also had terrible timing; he left war-torn China and made his home in Berlin, suffering under Russian atrocities and near-starvation starting in 1944. Ironically Rabe had been briefly imprisoned and questioned by the Gestapo after he wrote another letter to Hitler about Japanese behavior in China. Rabe received some aid from the Chinese Nationals when Madame Chang Kai Shek heard of his predicament in Berlin.

Overall, this is a very good read. The diary style is a little unusual, as Rabe was clearly writing for himself and his family, and not the general public. He is an excellent author with a keen sense of humor and his role in extraordinary times. The last part of the diaries, set in Berlin under Russian occupation show Rabe depressed and afraid, not knowing how he will support his family.

The first read through this book is an emotional experience; the atrocities perpetrated against the Chinese are recorded humanly and vividly. Re-reading leaves you with a deep and abiding respect for John Rabe and his honesty and abiding respect for people.

Don't overlook the second part of the book, when Mr. Rabe describes the fall of the Reich, and all the difficulties an ordinary citizen encountered.

Germany has been paying huge sums of money as War Compensation to Isreal ever since the end of the World War II, and they are still doing this. The Japanese government however, has not paid a penny. Not only that, their government has never appologized to the countries in Asia which they invaded and brutally killed their people. This book tells you how not to forget the history.

The Japanese can buy their seat at the Security Council of the UN, but they can never buy respect from the hundres of millions of people whose civilization were almost destroyed by the most uncivilized acts known to human history, unless the Japanese themselves can stop cheating. This book is a must-read for all Japanese, children and grown-ups alike.

This Book is well worth reading, the most absorbing book that I have read about the chinese holocaust in world war two. I think that this book is the ultimite resource to finding info on world war 2. This book is absolutely absorbing and well worth reading and eazily A+ book

With this book, John Rabe finally has his brightest moment in history he deserves. I wonder how Japanese can continue to discredit / dispute / deny this horrible truth. What makes this book priceless is the truth Rabe is telling, not his writing style. I put this book next to "Anne Frank: The Diary of A Young Girl" on my book shelf.

Mr. Rabe's comments and observations of a frightening and horrible event are well worth reading. The Germans are at least ashamed of the crimes committed in their name during the War, but the Japanese continue to deny that this barbarism was even committed.

One would not expect a German Nazi to fight to save the lives of Chinese citizens, but that is exactly what John Rabe did. This book enlightens the reader to both the horror of the Nanking occupation and the mistake of labeling anyone ever associated with the Nazi party as bad. It is too bad there is not more about his opinions after his disassociation with the party. It is too bad his one time association prevented him from being reconized as the hero he was.

Warning: Contains graphic details of the atrocities.