The question is as searing as it is fundamental to the continuing debate over Japanese culpability in World War II and the period leading up to it: "How could Japanese soldiers have committed such acts of violence against Allied prisoners of war and Chinese civilians?" During the First World War, the Japanese fought on the side of the Allies and treated German POWs with respect and civility. In the years that followed, under Emperor Hirohito, conformity was the norm and the Japanese psyche became one of selfless devotion to country and emperor; soon Japanese soldiers were to engage in mass murder, rape, and even cannibalization of their enemies. Horror in the East examines how this drastic change came about. On the basis of never-before-published interviews with both the victimizers and the victimized, and drawing on never-before-revealed or long-ignored archival records, Rees discloses the full horror of the war in the Pacific, probing the supposed Japanese belief in their own racial superiority, analyzing a military that believed suicide to be more honorable than surrender, and providing what the Guardian calls "a powerful, harrowing account of appalling inhumanity...impeccably researched."

Suggested Book Club Questions for Horror in the East: Japan and the Atrocities of World War II (Fiction)

The following book club questions provide a starting point for creating a reading group discussion on Horror in the East:

• Did Laurence Rees emphasize any specific themes throughout Horror in the East? What do you think Laurence Rees is trying to explain with this theme?
• What was unique about the setting of Horror in the East and how did it affect the storyline?
• Could you relate to any of the characters? If so, which ones and why?
• How do characters change or learn throughout Horror in the East? What events caused these changes? Have you or someone you know experienced the same thing?
• How does Horror in the East reveal Laurence Rees's own perspectives about people and the world? For a lively discussion, describe why you think Laurence Rees is liberal or conservative.
• Did certain parts of Horror in the East affect you emotionally? Why did it evoke those emotions?
• Did Laurence Rees's point of view on things lend new perspective to your own view of the world?

Suggested Book Club Questions for Horror in the East: Japan and the Atrocities of World War II (Non-fiction)

The following book club questions provide a starting point for creating a reading group discussion on Horror in the East:

• Did Laurence Rees make persuasive arguments in Horror in the East? Did Horror in the East change or reinforce your opinion on the subject?
• What did you learn from Horror in the East?
• How does Laurence Rees present the information and did you enjoy it?
• How is Laurence Rees biased within Horror in the East? Is there a political slant to what is being discussed and how does it impact the book?
• What, if anything, does Horror in the East make you want to read next? Why?