Iris Chang, a journalist whose best-selling book, "The Rape of Nanking," a chronicle of the atrocities committed in that city by occupying Japanese forces, helped break a six-decade-long international silence on the subject, committed suicide on Tuesday near Los Gatos, Calif."I wanted to show the people that the Japanese soldiers were inculcated to commit violence. This is not a story that was an isolated incident." --Iris Chang on the Rape of Nanking.
Here is a link to the transcript of CSPAN's Booknotes interview with Iris Chang (January 11, 1998) about The Rape of Nanking: The Forgotten Holocaust of World War II:
What I learned was that the Japanese soldier really had to see the Chinese as subhuman before they could kill them. I mean, he--he depicted the--the Chinese in his diary as--you know, as like animals or as insects.More links here:
- Iris Chang's website (currently a black screen with the legend "In Memory of Iris Chang /1968-2004")
- Google's cache of her website on November 11, 2004.
- BBC News report on death
- Interview with Robert Birnbaum at identitytheory.com
Apparently the Japanese would rather not know about their own history: the planned Japanese edition of The Rape of Nanking was never published due to 'conservative' pressure. Go here for an example of Japanese revisionism. According to Timothy M. Kelly, Ms. Chang was a sloppy historian [remember that she was not a historian, but a journalist by training--that may explain some of her errors].
Father, let me dedicate All this year to you
In whatever earthly state You will have me be
Not from sorrow, pain, or care Freedom dare I claim;
This alone shall be my prayer: Glorify Your name.
--from New Year's Hymn by Lawrence Tuttiett, 1864 (alt.)
In whatever earthly state You will have me be
Not from sorrow, pain, or care Freedom dare I claim;
This alone shall be my prayer: Glorify Your name.
--from New Year's Hymn by Lawrence Tuttiett, 1864 (alt.)
