Written by Kate Suits, Mary Ann MacLean Educator 

Iris Chang was born in Princeton, New Jersey to Chinese immigrant parents and was raised in Urbana, Illinois. She attended the University of Illinois, initially as a computer science major, but quickly switched to journalism. After graduating in 1989, Chang pursued several journalistic avenues, working for the Associated Press and The Chicago Tribune until she completed her graduate studies in writing from Johns Hopkins University. 

Chang grew up hearing stories of the Nanking Massacre from her parents, as her maternal grandparents had escaped from the region a few weeks before the killing began in 1937. As a child, she would scour her local library for books about the subject, but her efforts always came up empty. With the stories of her grandparents and the astonishing lack of resources published on the harrowing subject in her mind, Chang embarked on the ambitious journey of bringing the Rape of Nanking to the forefront of America's conscience. 

After reading journals, newspapers, watching smuggled film footage, and interviewing Chinese survivors and Japanese soldiers, Chang published The Rape of Nanking in 1997. Her book was the first English-language text on the massacre to reach a wide audience. Despite the book's success, Chang never set out to make money from the venture. More than anything, she wanted people to know the truth about what had happened and the toll it took on the people of China.

Her intense research on dark and violent topics and the pressure of writing and promotional schedules took a toll on Chang's mental health. Iris Chang died by suicide in San Jose, California in 2004.