Why people recommend it
The Rape of Nanking by Iris Chang is a harrowing historical account that meticulously documents the atrocities committed by the Japanese military in the Chinese city of Nanking prior to World War II. The book has been frequently cited by commentators examining the darkest extremes of human brutality and wartime violence. Joe Rogan brought up the book across multiple episodes of The Joe Rogan Experience, including conversations with Bryan Callen and Chris Williamson, recalling his experience reading the work and discussing historical atrocities and cultural memory. Jordan B. Peterson similarly reflected on the book on The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast, describing it as exceptionally brutal and detailing the massive scale of the historical events it uncovers. Additionally, Jocko Willink discussed the profound emotional and psychological impact of engaging with such horrific historical material during an appearance on The Jordan Harbinger Show. Across these discussions, Chang's work is recognized as a vital, albeit deeply painful, historical document that ensures the forgotten horrors of the past are confronted, remembered, and studied to understand the full capacity of human cruelty.
Who recommended it
- Joe Rogan Discussed
- Jordan B. Peterson Discussed
- Jocko Willink Discussed
Joe Rogan — 2 mentions
“If you look what the Chinese did to Manuria in the in the 30s, Irish Chang wrote a book about it. I thought it was I think it was called the rape of non king.”
“wow yeah I read uh the the rape of Nam King years ago”
Jordan B. Peterson — 1 mention
“so soon after that I read the rape of Nan King and which is a book about as brutal as any book you might ever come across and it details the magnitude of Japanese atrocity in the city of Nan King just prior to World War II”
Jocko Willink — 1 mention
“no actually the first one where I really realized myself was we did another one called The Rape of Nanking”