 The book received praise from news media . The Wall Street Journal wrote that it was the " first comprehensive examination of the destruction of this Chinese imperial city " , and that Chang " skillfully excavated from oblivion the terrible events that took place " . The Atlantic Monthly described the book as " a crushing indictment of the Japanese army 's behavior " . The Chicago Tribune called it " a powerful new work of history and moral inquiry " and stated that " Chang takes great care to establish an accurate accounting of the dimensions of the violence . " The Philadelphia Inquirer wrote that it was a " compelling account of a horrendous episode that , until recently , has been largely forgotten " , and that " animals do not behave the way the Japanese troops of the Imperial Army behaved . " 
