The Work of Iris Chang

Iris Chang is one of the great, contemporary writers about the cutural experiences of Chinese people.  Many of them are American born Chinese who have a personal and family connection to China that is difficult to express in mere words.  Chang has taken her own experience as a Chinese American to help convey the feelings, ideas, and history of American Chinese people.  She has chronicled the challenge of being Chinese in several published works.  Her first book was titled "Thread of the Silkworm" (1995).  It tells the compelling story of the Chinese professor, Dr. Tsien Hsue-shen during the Red Scare of the 1950s. 

Her second book was titled "The Rape of Naking: The Forgotten Holocaust of World War II" (1997).  It was actually published on the 60th anniversary of the Nanking Massacre.  In part, her book was motivated by her own grandparent's stories about their escape from this terrible war crime.  This book has been widely read around the world today, and has caused new debate on the subject of Imperial Japan's record of war crimes during World War II.

Her third (and, sadly, final) book was titled "The Chinese in America" (2003).  This work is a short history of Chinese-Americans which contended that Chinese-Americans were treated as constant outsiders for a long time.  This book also relied heavily on personal accounts of Chang and her family.  The book draws strong emotions from the family stories told in Chang's unique style of writing. 

Unfortunately, Iris Chang also suffered a nervous breakdown in August of 2004.  It was caused partly from sleep deprivation, according to her family, friends, and doctors.  At the time she was involved in research for her fourth book about the Bataan Death March.  On November 9th, 2004 Chang was found dead in her car on a country road south of Los Gatos, California.  Police noted that she had shot herself through the mouth with a pistol.  At the time of her death, she has been taking anti-depressant medications to stablize her mood swings.  In one of ther three suicide notes she wrote the following in part:  "I had considered running away, but I will never be able to escape from myself and my thoughts.  I am doing this because I am too weak to withstand the years of pain and agony ahead..."  Her fans, friends, and family all wish that she is resting in peace at last.  Her loss, for the world, is surely a great one.

Harlan Urwiler

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