The making of the "Rape of Nanking"

I just read an interesting book for my upcoming course in Japanese History (Seminar on the Asia-Pacific war). I won't go into details about the content, as I know it can be a touchy subject, but I wold recommend it to anyone with an interest in historic memory. In the The making of the "Rape of Nanking," Yoshiba argues that memories of history often change and are used differently depending on the circumstances of the time. It is another reason why history is IMPORTANT. We use History as a tool. This tool can be used to motivate a nation, heal wounds, create aggression, stir national pride, etc. So understanding history is understanding how pretext changes the present.