Reddit reviews THE GOOD MAN OF NANKING: The Diaries of John Rabe

I wrote a 30 page paper on John Rabe and other foreigners involved in the organization of the Nanking Safety Zone for my undergraduate history thesis a few years ago :D

It's worth nothing that Iris Chang's depiction in The Rape of Nanking has been criticized by historians for being overly sensationalized - not so much in the sense that her overall depiction is incorrect, but more that her conclusions are not fully supported by what evidence she has and she overreaches in her analysis of the motivations and psychology of the Japanese.

If anyone is interested in further secondary (and primary) sources on the material I can dig up my bibliography. For example the wartime diary of Minnie Vautrin (an American missionary who worked with Rabe in organizing and running the Safety Zone) is fascinating, especially considering that she commited suicide after returning the US in 1940. The entire diary is available online (along with an unbelievable wealth of other primary sources, letters and so forth) as part of Yale's Nanking Massacre Project. John Rabe also kept a diary but it's not available online afaik.

edit: I wrote a really detailed comment on John Rabe and some of the other foreigners in Nanking during the invasion a year or two ago in a similar thread but Reddit's search is too crappy for me to find it again to link to :(

Yeah I'm actually reading this right now. The invasion of Nanking occurred towards the end of 1937.

New Books:
on Contemporary China
Chinnovation
Reads somewhat similar to Silicon Valley success stories: huge ideas that are changing the world, with a Chinese accent.

History:
The Rape of Nanking by Iris Chang

This is a very important book to understand the Sino-Japanese relationship. Even when some question the historic facts, esp numbers, it is a strong reflection to the mentality the Chinese people go through ever since.
If you are too lazy to read through, there is one edition with mostly (disturbing) photos.
The Rape of Nanking: An Undeniable History in Photographs

A Nazi involved in saving refugees in Nanking who had the habit of keeping a diary.The Diaries of John Rabe
This is one of the sources of Chang's book, written by a westerner.
Chang committed suicide and now she has a memoir
The Woman Who Could Not Forget: Iris Chang
(This is the new book that really got me carried away to list related literature)

I wish I could be more helpful and list more books on other aspects of China. Yet it is so sad to think about heavy history so I have to refrain from writing more. My apologies.

The diary entries of John Rabe (Schindler of the East) might be of interest to you. Here's an excerpt:

"We are sorry to trouble you again but the sufferings and needs of the 200 000 civilians for whom we are trying to care make it urgent that we try to secure action from your military authorities to stop the present disorder among Japanese soldiers wandering through the Safety Zone... The second man in our Housing Commission had to see two women in his family at 23 Hankow Road raped last night at supper time by Japanese soldiers. Our associate food commissioner, Mr. Sone, has to convey trucks with rice and leave 2,500 people in families at his Nanking Theological Seminary to look after themselves. Yesterday, in broad daylight, several women at the Seminary were raped right in the middle of a large room filled with men, women, and children! We 22 Occidentals cannot feed 200,000 Chinese civilians and protect them night and day. That is the duty of the Japanese authorities ..."

THE GOOD MAN OF NANKING: The Diaries of John Rabe