Finding Iris Chang - Paula Kamen

Iris Chang was the best-selling author of The Rape of Nanking, a journalistic account of the 1937 Japanese invasion of the ancient Chinese city of Nanking. Through first person accounts, Chang tells the story of the 300,000 Chinese who were raped, tortured, and murdered by Japanese soldiers. Chang brought this horrific episode to the forefront, garnering respect from the survivors, and intense scrutiny from the Japanese government. Following on the heels of the controversial success of The Rape of Nanking, Chang began working to uncover the truth behind yet another Japanese war crime - the Bataan Death March - which took place in 1942 and involved the forcible transfer of 75,000 American and Filipino Prisoners of War (brutally murdering between 6,000-11,000 in the process). In 2004, admist in-depth research and interviews, Chang committed suicide. Chang's death appeared to come as a shock to many of her friends - people who had stood back for years and admired her steadfast determination to become one of the best in her field and to continually and consistently speak truth to power. Paula Kamen , the author of Finding Iris Chang was one of these people. Her book explores the nature of Chang's death - what led to her suicide - asking primarily, was it a result of Chang's mental illness (she had struggled with depression and bipolar disorder) or was it a result of the grueling and intense subject matters Chang chose to take on. Ultimately, of course, there is no answer, but Kamen's book explores many different layers of Chang's existence, painting the picture of a not always likeable, often tiresome, and always tremendously driven individual. Kamen discusses the interplay of race and mental illness, discussing the tendency in Asian cultures to hide mental illness, or the general idea that in American society mental illness is often measured using norms from white culture that are wholly inapplicable to minorities. Chang also suffered from infertility, and Kamen explores how Chang's fertility treatments may have exacerbated her mental health symptoms, as well as contributed to her feelings of failure. As I read Finding Iris Chang, I continually found myself wanting to take notes, or wanting to mark passages to talk about on my blog or to discuss with my mother who lent me the book and is reader of all books involving Asian-American writers and Asian history. Even as a fourth generation Japanese-American, I still flinch a bit everytime anyone mentions Nanking or Japanese War Crimes. The inability of the Japanese government to take full responsibility for the human rights violations they have committed is shameful - and a sad reminder of the violations America itself perpetrates, as well as the ones they turn a blind eye to on a daily basis. Chang's fight to get at the truth and to force reparations for the Chinese is incredibly admirable - and it is a true tragedy that it was probably her mental illness (in part) that allowed her the singular focus and the sleepless weeks to complete her work, as well as what drove her to the state of paranoia and despair that led to her untimely death.