Iris Chang

Iris Chang was an American journalist, historian, and human rights advocate whose work brought international attention to overlooked chapters of Chinese and Chinese American history. Born in Princeton, New Jersey, to Chinese immigrant parents and raised in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, she studied journalism at the University of Illinois before earning a master's degree in writing from Johns Hopkins University. She began her career as a reporter before turning to historical and investigative nonfiction.

Chang achieved international recognition with The Rape of Nanking, her bestselling account of the 1937 Nanjing Massacre. The book helped bring wider global awareness to the atrocities committed during the Second Sino-Japanese War and established her as a leading voice in historical justice and human rights advocacy. Throughout her career, she focused on recovering neglected stories and giving visibility to individuals and communities whose experiences had often been overlooked by mainstream historical narratives.

In addition to her work on the Nanjing Massacre, Chang wrote extensively about the experiences of Chinese and Chinese Americans, combining rigorous research with compelling narrative storytelling. Although her life and career were cut tragically short, her books continue to be widely read and have had a lasting impact on public understanding of Asian and Asian American history. She remains an influential figure in historical journalism and human rights scholarship.