Author : Iris Chang

Iris Shun-Ru Chang was a well-known young American historian who came to prominence after publishing her famous piece The Rape of Nanking in 1997. She was known to have suffered from mental illness, and at the age of 36, she died by suicide with a pistol after a nervous breakdown. Less than a month after its publication, The Rape of Nanking entered the New York Times Best Seller list and was named the most popular book of the year by readers. At the time of writing, Chang suffered immensely from psychological trauma due to the multitude of horrific historical evidence she was exposed to. Her work often left her shaking with anger, and led to difficulties with sleeping and eating. During the promotion of this book, some Japanese media and right-wing activists seized every opportunity to attack the author in writing. Chang also received many death threats. All these terrifying events culminated in her tragic suicide.