The Good Man of Nanking: The Diaries of John Rabe
by John Rabe
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Description
This unique and gripping document contains the recently discovered diaries of a German businessman, John Rabe, who saved so many lives in the infamous siege of Nanking in 1937 that he is now being honored as the Oskar Schindler of China. As the Japanese army closed in and all foreigners were ordered to evacuate, Rabe mobilized the remaining Westerners in Nanking and organized an "International Safety Zone" which guaranteed safety to all unarmed Chinese by virtue of Germany's pact with Japan. show more As hundreds of thousands of Chinese streamed into the city, all that stood between them and certain slaughter were Rabe and his committee, and it is thought that he saved more than 250,000 lives. After the siege, when he was arrested by the Gestapo in Germany, he survived the war and the starvation that followed with help from the Chinese government. His journal is a record of inhuman horror and unpretentious heroism. show lessTags
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alco261 This is the history of the horror that Mr. Rabe confronted.
Member Reviews
He is called the "Oscar Schindler" of Nanking. He joined the Nazi Party while working for Siemens in China. He really believed Hitler wasthe hope of Germany and seems to have been completely ignorant of Nazi atrocities while in China. He sent letters to Hitler asking him to help the Chinese people. He saved over 250,000 people during the Japanese invasion.
Quite good. Read Rape of Nanking first to put this narrative in perspective.
One of the best and authoritative books on the Nanking Holocaust. Highly Recommended!
Dagboek van de relatief onbekende John Rabe, die in Nanking was ten tijde van de Japanse belegering van de stad. Indrukwekkend vooral dankzij de toelichtingen van Erwin Wickert en zijn kleinzoon.
Jul 26, 2009Dutch
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ThingScore 100
This plainspoken diary of a remarkable German businessman makes vivid the horrors of The Japanese Conquest of Nanking. It Documents The Looting, Raping, and Killing of Civilians In What Became Known As The Rape of Nanking.
added by vancouverdeb
Author Information
3+ Works 268 Members
Common Knowledge
- Original title
- Der gut Deutsche von Nanking ( German) ( German)
- Original publication date
- 1997
- Important events
- Rape of Nanking
- Related movies
- Hei tai yang: Nan Jing da tu sha (1995 | IMDb)
- First words
- In 1931, after meeting no opposition worth the name, the Japanese army occupied Manchuria, China's most northernmost region, and declared it to be the sovereign state of Manchukuo, though in reality it was totally under Japa... (show all)nese control; nor did it become anymore independent once the former Chinese emperor P'u- Yi was placed on the throne.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)But we shall not be ingrates: we're simply grateful that fate has kept us all alive and healthy!
Classifications
- Genres
- History, Nonfiction, Biography & Memoir, General Nonfiction
- DDC/MDS
- 951.042 — History & geography History of Asia East Asia: China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Korea History 1912-1949 1927-1949
- LCC
- DS796 .N2 .R3313 — History of Europe, Asia, Africa and Oceania Asia History of Asia China Local history and description Hong Kong
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 263
- Popularity
- 122,690
- Reviews
- 5
- Rating
- (4.07)
- Languages
- Dutch, English, German
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 16
- ASINs
- 3
