January 2017
Nanjing Never Cries
by Zheng Hong
Set in the city of Nanjing during the time of the Sino-Japanese war (1937-1945), this novel tells the story of four people caught up in the violence and tumult of these years: John Winthrop and his MTI classmate, the brilliant Chinese physicist Calvin Ren (Ren Kewen) and his wife. They work at Nanjing's National Central University on a secret project to design and build warplanes to enable the Chinese to defend themselves against Japanese bombers. John enjoys his new life in Nanjing. He helps a lovely and determined yound lady Chen May with her English, falling a little in love with her; he shops for antiques; meets with Chiang Kai-Shek and Madame Chiang. But when the Japanese invade, there is no safe place in the city. The Japanese murder, torture, and rape indiscriminately. May's whole family are killed; John works in a shelter for women and children; Calvin's family flees the city while Calvin, weakened by overwork, stays behind to work on the warplane project. Each tries to survive against the odds. Vivid and disturbing, Nanjing Never Cries offers a compelling story of the horror of war and the power of love and friendships.
