Iris Chang (1968–2004)
Author of The Rape of Nanking
About the Author
Iris Chang was born in China, but emigrated to the United States with her parents while she was still a child. She graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where her parents were professors, and received a masters degree from Johns Hopkins University. She is a freelance writer show more who regularly works with The Chicago Tribune, The New York Times, and the Associated Press Chang's books include Thread of the Silkworm and The Rape of Nanking: The Forgotten Holocaust of World War II. The Rape of Nanking, in particular, involved extensive research both in the United States and abroad. It recounts the Japanese rape and slaughter of the captive population of Nanking, China, in December, 1937 and the early part of 1938. Through the book and her lectures on the subject, Chang has been instrumental in helping the world remember the atrocities of Nanking. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Works by Iris Chang
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Canonical name
- Chang, Iris
- Legal name
- Chang, Iris Shun-Ru
- Other names
- 張純如
- Birthdate
- 1968-03-28
- Date of death
- 2004-11-09
- Gender
- female
- Education
- University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (BA|1989)
Johns Hopkins University (MA) - Occupations
- journalist
writer
author - Organizations
- Chicago Tribune
- Awards and honors
- John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation's Program on Peace and International Cooperation Award
Woman of the Year award from the Organization of Chinese Americans - Relationships
- Chang, Ying-Ying (mother)
Kamen, Paula (friend) - Cause of death
- suicide
- Nationality
- USA
- Birthplace
- Princeton, New Jersey, USA
- Places of residence
- Princeton, New Jersey, USA
Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, USA
San Jose, California, USA - Place of death
- Los Gatos, California, USA
- Burial location
- Gate of Heaven Cemetery, Cupertino, California
- Associated Place (for map)
- USA
Members
Discussions
April-June Theme Read: War and Regions in Conflict in Reading Globally (February 2024)
Reviews
This is not so much a book review as it is a short essay on my musings.
Iris Chang's Rape of Nanking is not a dispassionate telling of a most horrendous period in WWII history; it is an emotional appeal to the world to take heed of what occurs behind the curtain of war; of what occurs when you put guns and swords and too much power into the hands of those who are only too happy to use them.
I have no way of knowing if every word is true -- I understand that there are some historians who show more dispute the numbers, the magnitude, the severity of it all. I do believe, nonetheless, that she comes as close to the truth as it is possible to get, after 60 years of denial.
She comments throughout the piece that she is not an historian, but a concerned observer; a writer with a true story to recount. She doesn't shy away from interjecting her voice at every opportunity = and yet lets it be known that it is her voice, her opinions. She doesn't hide from this, nor does she apologize. I feel the book is stronger for it.
It is a well-written book, wherein a young woman with passion and intent takes a stand, and says, "Look at this. Don't turn away." She may not have the detached, emotionless gift of the historian, but in the end, this story is not so much about who and when ... but about why.
The skeleton of the story is about Nanjing, in particular. But the sub-text tells me, repeatedly, that it is the same story that can be told of other war time horrors -- to lesser or larger degrees -- and it behooves no one to try to hide the truth of any one of them. This is what I understand most clearly from her: it harms us all to hide the atrocities of some, while others are lauded for them. Each and every deed must be recorded, must be accounted for, and must be atoned. Each and every one.
I do agree.
An exceptional book on how to take a stand. show less
Iris Chang's Rape of Nanking is not a dispassionate telling of a most horrendous period in WWII history; it is an emotional appeal to the world to take heed of what occurs behind the curtain of war; of what occurs when you put guns and swords and too much power into the hands of those who are only too happy to use them.
I have no way of knowing if every word is true -- I understand that there are some historians who show more dispute the numbers, the magnitude, the severity of it all. I do believe, nonetheless, that she comes as close to the truth as it is possible to get, after 60 years of denial.
She comments throughout the piece that she is not an historian, but a concerned observer; a writer with a true story to recount. She doesn't shy away from interjecting her voice at every opportunity = and yet lets it be known that it is her voice, her opinions. She doesn't hide from this, nor does she apologize. I feel the book is stronger for it.
It is a well-written book, wherein a young woman with passion and intent takes a stand, and says, "Look at this. Don't turn away." She may not have the detached, emotionless gift of the historian, but in the end, this story is not so much about who and when ... but about why.
The skeleton of the story is about Nanjing, in particular. But the sub-text tells me, repeatedly, that it is the same story that can be told of other war time horrors -- to lesser or larger degrees -- and it behooves no one to try to hide the truth of any one of them. This is what I understand most clearly from her: it harms us all to hide the atrocities of some, while others are lauded for them. Each and every deed must be recorded, must be accounted for, and must be atoned. Each and every one.
I do agree.
An exceptional book on how to take a stand. show less
Why did I never learn about this in school? How come the first I ever heard of “The Rape of Nanking” was when I happened to stumble across the book title on my Goodreads recommendations?
It disheartens me to learn that this part of history is heavily censored and covered up in other countries - but I was freely educated in America and it didn’t seem to make a difference.
This book eventually found its way to me, yes, but only because I happen to actively seek out history books - show more friends and family have never heard of this.
In school we learn plenty about the Holocaust, so why do I not remember learning anything about Japanese war crimes and atrocities during WWII that horrified even the Nazis?
Perhaps it is because Germany actively acknowledges and tries to make amends for their past, whereas Japan still refuses to admit any wrongdoing. Why are we still letting it slip through the cracks?
This book is very (emotionally) difficult to read, more so as a woman, and I had to pace myself through it. I vividly remember lying in bed with my eyes squeezed shut, listening to the audiobook, body fully tensed, and mentally whispering/praying to myself “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus…” as the tears slipped out. Because there are just no other words. show less
It disheartens me to learn that this part of history is heavily censored and covered up in other countries - but I was freely educated in America and it didn’t seem to make a difference.
This book eventually found its way to me, yes, but only because I happen to actively seek out history books - show more friends and family have never heard of this.
In school we learn plenty about the Holocaust, so why do I not remember learning anything about Japanese war crimes and atrocities during WWII that horrified even the Nazis?
Perhaps it is because Germany actively acknowledges and tries to make amends for their past, whereas Japan still refuses to admit any wrongdoing. Why are we still letting it slip through the cracks?
This book is very (emotionally) difficult to read, more so as a woman, and I had to pace myself through it. I vividly remember lying in bed with my eyes squeezed shut, listening to the audiobook, body fully tensed, and mentally whispering/praying to myself “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus…” as the tears slipped out. Because there are just no other words. show less
”Almost all people have this potential for evil, which would be unleashed only under certain dangerous social circumstances.”
A beloved European friend, who’s currently living in Changzhou, has been pestering me to read this book for months. I was unwilling. Of course, History is my greatest love and I was extremely familiar with the tragedy of Nanjing the capital of China at the time- through documentaries and films. This is exactly why I hadn’t read Iris Chang’s book. I show more couldn’t bear to visualize the scenes of destruction and utter brutality in my mind. Even the Wikipedia page narrating the slaughters is a place of horror. However, I thought that maybe the time had finally come and I ventured…
What kind of review can I possibly write now? There are times that I feel my words lose all meaning…The book chronicles the atrocities committed by the Japanese invaders after the fall of the city on 13/12/1937. The estimated victims? 300,000 people over a period of six weeks….The writing is detailed, powerful, razor-sharp. The horror comes through the pages not because the writer intended to shock but because the events described have no need for embellishment or sensationalist language. The violence, the ordeal, the brutality of the attacks, the behaviour of the monsters, the paranoia. Women and children, innocent civilians, meeting a fate and an end that no one is able to imagine. I feel that each sentence I am writing falls short, remains meaningless, devoid of any substance. It is impossible to enclose and communicate the feelings caused in me while I was reading Chang’s book. The anger, the hatred, the despair…It’s like a journey to a Hell that no religion has ever conceived, a pit of blood and madness that leaves you hopeless, empty, frozen….
And in the end? And now? So many eulogies, so many times mankind has uttered ”never again”. And the result? Nothing. Purely nothing. We loudly and wildly proclaim ”never another Holocaust, another Somme, another Vietnam, another Nanjing…”’ Empty words and evil deeds are the banes of History. I often feel the human race has learnt nothing from its darkest moments. We live through endless repetitions of horrors (in various degrees and forms), watching today’s ”elected” dictators giving speeches, ruling lives….I don’t care about political or religious issues, I don’t care about political correctness. This isn’t about power or international relationships. This is about the sheer brutality that lives in every human being, waiting for a chance to come forth and attack and the natural tendencies exploited by those in power all over the world, throughout the course of History. How can one stop this? The answer is yet to be found…. show less
A beloved European friend, who’s currently living in Changzhou, has been pestering me to read this book for months. I was unwilling. Of course, History is my greatest love and I was extremely familiar with the tragedy of Nanjing the capital of China at the time- through documentaries and films. This is exactly why I hadn’t read Iris Chang’s book. I show more couldn’t bear to visualize the scenes of destruction and utter brutality in my mind. Even the Wikipedia page narrating the slaughters is a place of horror. However, I thought that maybe the time had finally come and I ventured…
What kind of review can I possibly write now? There are times that I feel my words lose all meaning…The book chronicles the atrocities committed by the Japanese invaders after the fall of the city on 13/12/1937. The estimated victims? 300,000 people over a period of six weeks….The writing is detailed, powerful, razor-sharp. The horror comes through the pages not because the writer intended to shock but because the events described have no need for embellishment or sensationalist language. The violence, the ordeal, the brutality of the attacks, the behaviour of the monsters, the paranoia. Women and children, innocent civilians, meeting a fate and an end that no one is able to imagine. I feel that each sentence I am writing falls short, remains meaningless, devoid of any substance. It is impossible to enclose and communicate the feelings caused in me while I was reading Chang’s book. The anger, the hatred, the despair…It’s like a journey to a Hell that no religion has ever conceived, a pit of blood and madness that leaves you hopeless, empty, frozen….
And in the end? And now? So many eulogies, so many times mankind has uttered ”never again”. And the result? Nothing. Purely nothing. We loudly and wildly proclaim ”never another Holocaust, another Somme, another Vietnam, another Nanjing…”’ Empty words and evil deeds are the banes of History. I often feel the human race has learnt nothing from its darkest moments. We live through endless repetitions of horrors (in various degrees and forms), watching today’s ”elected” dictators giving speeches, ruling lives….I don’t care about political or religious issues, I don’t care about political correctness. This isn’t about power or international relationships. This is about the sheer brutality that lives in every human being, waiting for a chance to come forth and attack and the natural tendencies exploited by those in power all over the world, throughout the course of History. How can one stop this? The answer is yet to be found…. show less
* Any comments regarding politics will be dealt with. Flagged, blocked, accompanied by one of my endlessly innovative insults. Take your political opinions elsewhere, the few of you who think this is bloody Facebook. I'm not interested.
”Almost all people have this potential for evil, which would be unleashed only under certain dangerous social circumstances.”
A beloved European friend, who’s currently living in Changzhou, has been pestering me to read this book for months. I was show more unwilling. Of course, History is my greatest love and I was extremely familiar with the tragedy of Nanjing the capital of China at the time- through documentaries and films. This is exactly why I hadn’t read Iris Chang’s book. I couldn’t bear to visualize the scenes of destruction and utter brutality in my mind. Even the Wikipedia page narrating the slaughters is a place of horror. However, I thought that maybe the time had finally come and I ventured…
What kind of review can I possibly write now? There are times that I feel my words lose all meaning…The book chronicles the atrocities committed by the Japanese invaders after the fall of the city on 13/12/1937. The estimated victims? 300,000 people over a period of six weeks….The writing is detailed, powerful, razor-sharp. The horror comes through the pages not because the writer intended to shock but because the events described have no need for embellishment or sensationalist language. The violence, the ordeal, the brutality of the attacks, the behaviour of the monsters, the paranoia. Women and children, innocent civilians, meeting a fate and an end that no one is able to imagine. I feel that each sentence I am writing falls short, remains meaningless, devoid of any substance. It is impossible to enclose and communicate the feelings caused in me while I was reading Chang’s book. The anger, the hatred, the despair…It’s like a journey to a Hell that no religion has ever conceived, a pit of blood and madness that leaves you hopeless, empty, frozen….
And in the end? And now? So many eulogies, so many times mankind has uttered ”never again”. And the result? Nothing. Purely nothing. We loudly and wildly proclaim ”never another Holocaust, another Somme, another Vietnam, another Nanjing…”’ Empty words and evil deeds are the banes of History. I often feel the human race has learnt nothing from its darkest moments. We live through endless repetitions of horrors (in various degrees and forms), watching today’s ”elected” dictators giving speeches, ruling lives….I don’t care about political or religious issues, I don’t care about political correctness. This isn’t about power or international relationships. This is about the sheer brutality that lives in every human being, waiting for a chance to come forth and attack and the natural tendencies exploited by those in power all over the world, throughout the course of History. How can one stop this? The answer is yet to be found….
My reviews can also be found on https://theopinionatedreaderblog.wordpress.com show less
”Almost all people have this potential for evil, which would be unleashed only under certain dangerous social circumstances.”
A beloved European friend, who’s currently living in Changzhou, has been pestering me to read this book for months. I was show more unwilling. Of course, History is my greatest love and I was extremely familiar with the tragedy of Nanjing the capital of China at the time- through documentaries and films. This is exactly why I hadn’t read Iris Chang’s book. I couldn’t bear to visualize the scenes of destruction and utter brutality in my mind. Even the Wikipedia page narrating the slaughters is a place of horror. However, I thought that maybe the time had finally come and I ventured…
What kind of review can I possibly write now? There are times that I feel my words lose all meaning…The book chronicles the atrocities committed by the Japanese invaders after the fall of the city on 13/12/1937. The estimated victims? 300,000 people over a period of six weeks….The writing is detailed, powerful, razor-sharp. The horror comes through the pages not because the writer intended to shock but because the events described have no need for embellishment or sensationalist language. The violence, the ordeal, the brutality of the attacks, the behaviour of the monsters, the paranoia. Women and children, innocent civilians, meeting a fate and an end that no one is able to imagine. I feel that each sentence I am writing falls short, remains meaningless, devoid of any substance. It is impossible to enclose and communicate the feelings caused in me while I was reading Chang’s book. The anger, the hatred, the despair…It’s like a journey to a Hell that no religion has ever conceived, a pit of blood and madness that leaves you hopeless, empty, frozen….
And in the end? And now? So many eulogies, so many times mankind has uttered ”never again”. And the result? Nothing. Purely nothing. We loudly and wildly proclaim ”never another Holocaust, another Somme, another Vietnam, another Nanjing…”’ Empty words and evil deeds are the banes of History. I often feel the human race has learnt nothing from its darkest moments. We live through endless repetitions of horrors (in various degrees and forms), watching today’s ”elected” dictators giving speeches, ruling lives….I don’t care about political or religious issues, I don’t care about political correctness. This isn’t about power or international relationships. This is about the sheer brutality that lives in every human being, waiting for a chance to come forth and attack and the natural tendencies exploited by those in power all over the world, throughout the course of History. How can one stop this? The answer is yet to be found….
My reviews can also be found on https://theopinionatedreaderblog.wordpress.com show less
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