Iris Chang received several other awards, including the Woman of the Year award from the Organization of Chinese Americans, and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation's Program on Peace and International Cooperation Award. It didn't take him long to propose, but their 1989 engagement stretched out while Brett finished grad school in Urbana. Event on 11/19/04 in Los Altos Hills Eric Luse / The Chronicle Ran on: 11-20-2004 The lead balls must be individually prepared, packed with gunpowder and topped with a percussive cap. Chang's son, Christopher (born with the help of a surrogate mother), has been diagnosed as autistic specifically Asperger's disorder, a mild form. I believe that Iris was very strong-willed and whatever she wanted to do, she would do. But there has to be dialogue about how to do that in the long term., In All in My Head, Kamen documents how she learned to slow down and come to terms with a life of chronic pain. An excerpt from an interview with author Iris Chang held during her appearance at the New York State Writers Institute on April 14, 2004. ", Iris connected so well with these veterans because each of their stories mattered to her. Those close to Iris had always seen her ups and downs as part of the natural cycle of a brilliant person with intense drive, passionate commitment and a capacity for hard work. he said, grinning. But there were untold numbers of women she could not save from capture, torture or death at the hands of Japanese soldiers. When I read The Rape of Nanking, I was struck by the parallels in the lives of these two women, Minnie and Iris, Kamen writes. Books by. "To see her on TV, defending 'Rape of Nanking' so fiercely and so fearlessly -- I just sat down, stopped, in awe," said Helen Zia, author of "Asian-American Dreams: Emergence of an American People" and co-author, with Wen-Ho Lee, of "My Country Versus Me: The First-Hand Account by the Los Alamos Scientist Who Was Falsely Accused. The book, "Thread of the Silkworm," was published in 1995. It had been the largest U.S. Army surrender in history. After a breakdown five months ago, Chang had been. In her goodbye note, Iris described her guilt about having allowed her son, Christopher, to be vaccinated before the age of 2. Classical AF dissonance between pride in her culture and inability to integrate. And she believed her research produced irrevocable proof of Japanese atrocities. Thinking the driver must be asleep, he got out of his car and banged on the hood. Hoping to practice shooting, she asked the gunsmith to go with her to a nearby indoor firing range. It's very hard to believe that there is something wrong with your mind," said Dr. David Lo, director of Santa Cruz Mental Health Services and former director of Chinatown Mental Health Center in San Francisco. He returned to China and went on to develop its missile system. She knew where to find the glass case of Civil War era pistol replicas, classified as "relics." Irrefutably, Iris Chang won many battles in her fight for justice. Worse, Chang had started out as a computer science major and switched with Kamens encouragement. As long as I am alive, these forces will never stop hounding me. After Iris Chang's Oldsmobile was found off Highway 17 on Tuesday morning, Nov. 9, the California Highway Patrol was called to the scene. Chang tells the story of a rocket scientist, Tsien Hsue-Shen, who was born in China in 1911 and educated in the United States. "We set out a very big lunch -- meat trays and sandwiches and desserts," she said. ", On her trip to China, she met with survivors from Nanking. Their families fled the 1949 Communist revolution and settled in Taiwan, where the two met in high school. Speculation that she may have been killed by Japanese ultranationalists continued to turn up on Web logs and Internet chat rooms. I am doing this because I am too weak to withstand the years of pain and agony ahead.". On the day of Iris Chang's death, word spread quickly over news wires and the Internet. And then there's the issue of the model minority. It's never boring with her -- it's interesting." One speaker called Iris "a hero for those muffled by injustice." "She sat down and cross-examined me like a district attorney for five solid hours," said Martel, 86, one of the last remaining survivors of the Bataan Death March of World War II. Iris Chang. But Douglas finally told Kamen that Christopher had been born with the help of a surrogate mother. "I knew writing would be more helpful to me than medicine.". Chang, 36 . In her last call to Kamen, Chang had alluded to highly placed people who didnt like her once again digging into Japanese atrocities during World War II. The Highway Patrol then called the Santa Clara Sheriff's homicide unit and detective Sgt. Iris was first and foremost an advocate. "It's baffling to me that the U.S. today has so little knowledge of the four months we held out," Martel told The Chronicle by telephone from his home in Wisconsin. He is an actor, known for The Young and the Restless (1973), Playing Mona Lisa (2000) and Cyber Bandits (1995). Services; Expertise; Our Clients; Book Deep Cleaning . But Kamens book, unlike, say, Truth & Beauty, novelist Ann Patchetts controversial memoir of her thorny friendship with the late writer Lucy Grealy, relies very little upon navel-gazing rumination. Their second child, Michael, was born in 1970. . "Iris can be a loner; it doesn't bother her." "During the massacre some had received physical injuries so severe they had been prevented from making a decent living for decades. Chang, with a Ph.D. in biological chemistry from Harvard University, had a scientist's career until her retirement in 2002. He went to her desk in her upstairs office and found a note next to the computer. Opting for a master's degree, she was accepted by the Graduate Writing Seminar at Johns Hopkins University and moved to Baltimore in 1990. At the Gate of Heaven Catholic Cemetery in Los Altos Hills, the photograph stood on an easel before the chapel. In early 2004, she traveled to promote the paperback version of "The Chinese in America." ", At the same time, torrents of hate mail came in, Brett said. Chang said she usually gives three reasons for her unconventional decision to write her daughter's biography: to commemorate Iris, to tell Iris' son, Christopher Douglas, all about the mother he lost at age 2, and to set the record straight about Iris' suicide amid media speculations. She was 36. But Kalcic and his employees did not know how unusual Iris Chang was: a world- renowned author whose work had stirred international controversy. "Iris wanted to talk, and I said, 'You should go to bed, it's 2 in the morning.' Iris Shun-Ru Chang (March 28, 1968 - November 9, 2004) was an American journalist, author of historical books and political activist. And maybe more than the first two books I wrote combined, too.. Others wondered if Changs choice of subject matter was somehow to blame. I didn't really care if I made a cent from it. She committed suicide on November 9, 2004. She had been sad for several months, but she didn't seem in an acute phase. She is best known for her best-selling 1997 account of the Nanking Massacre, The Rape of Nanking. The mustache reminded his Japanese captors of "The Little Tramp." "I'd left a message -- I actually had business to talk about. A book packager wanted to publish a children's version of 'The Chinese in America. "Most lived in dark, squalid apartments cluttered with the debris of poverty and heavy with mildew and humidity," she wrote. ", The book's popularity meant a lengthy book tour. The official cause of death was a self-inflicted gunshot. "So they tried to make it harder and harder." She parked in front of Reed's Sport Shop, a redwood-shingled emporium that sells fishing, cycling and hunting gear. I sensed suddenly threats to my own life: an eerie feeling that I was being followed in the streets, the white van parked outside my house, damaged mail arriving at my P.O. The clerk who sold her the gun told investigators Iris had said she collected antique firearms. She wrote three books, which made her visible as a public figure. "A lot of people -- depending on how disturbed they are -- feel that people are plotting against them." "But she worked herself way too hard when she was there. Iris would be working solo. It became a surprise best-seller. When her body was discovered, Iris Chang had been dead for two hours. Whoops! And she loved it. She was 36. [19], When you believe you have a future, you think in terms of generations and years. She got from the airport to the hotel, but that was all she could do. @TheJohnRylands. His daughter recalled that in telling Iris this story, he got terribly worked up. . Brett soon grew concerned that Iris was overextended. For her, it was a relief," said Masin. ", During two years of research, Iris made significant historical discoveries. "He got the job, we went," Mrs. Chang explained. In the final version, she added: "There are aspects of my experience in Louisville that I will never understand. Most of the calls were from women, said Betty Hong, executive director of the Oakland clinic. She went back to bed. In her international bestseller, "The Rape of Nanking," Chang examined one of the most tragic chapters of World War II: the mass execution of soldiers and theslaughter, rape and torture oftens of tens of thousands of Chinese civilians by Japanese soldiers in the former capital of China. His daughter, Maddy, remembered the day well, too. "We went to see 'Ray,' " Brett said. She wasnt a jealous personality. . ", When Zia and Iris met for the first time, they planned a quick lunch. "She was afraid of him when he showed up," Smith said. She wrote her thesis on "The Poetry of Science." ", As Iris' good friend Barbara Masin said, "Those who are close to her did everything that they possibly could have done. In tribute to Chang, the survivors held a service at the Nanjing Massacre Memorial Hall, around the same time as her funeral, held at the Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Los Altos, California on November 12, 2004. When you do not, you live not just by the day but by the minute. The book signing will be held at Cupertino Community Hall on Saturday, Aug. 27 from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Well known since its 1997 publication is the global best seller,The Rape of Nanking. ", The Gate of Heaven was well named. She went to the Chicago Tribune instead, but didn't enjoy "politicking for assignments," Brett said. In 1991, Chang married Bretton Lee Douglas, a design engineer for Cisco Systems, whom she had met in college, and had one son, Christopher, who was two years old at the time of her suicide. He thought Iris was improving.". She hoped to gain access to a time capsule of audiotapes that was sealed within that tank after the war. The views expressed in this post are the author's own. "We marvel at how America turned their backs on us. There is always free will. "Civilization is tissue thin," Iris wrote. It read: "I promise to get up and get out of the house every morning. After two years at Princeton, the family moved to a Midwestern college town, Champaign-Urbana, in Illinois. After the release from the hospital, she continued to suffer from depression and experienced the side effects of several medications she was taking. Normally, Iris never did interviews alone. "First they gave her an antipsychotic, to stabilize her," her mother said. "It's been too short.". Robert Spencer / The Chronicle MANDATORY CREDIT FOR PHOTOG AND SF CHRONICLE/ -MAGS OUT, iris chang and bataan march survivor ed martel and his wife courtesy ed martel, THIS IS A HANDOUT IMAGE. -- Did she suffer a fatal reaction to powerful drugs that she refused to take as prescribed? That night, she had dinner with her husband of 13 years, Brett Douglas. The revolver lay on her left leg. Generally, there's an apology. Iris Shun-Ru Chang (March 28, 1968 - November 9, 2004) was an American author and journalist. Copy photo of Iris Chang with her husband Brett Douglas and their son at his birthday party. Iris Chang always outdid Paula Kamen. I didn't know if I'd hear from her again." "I learned from my research that medicine is not one for all," said Chang. Sunday morning, they drove to Santa Cruz for lunch on the pier, then went to her favorite spa, Chaminade -- a 300-acre mission-style resort, surrounded by redwoods and eucalyptus, in the Santa Cruz Mountains. "Tell me why you want to tell the story.". Among other things, the compulsively well-organized Chang began losing credit cards every couple of weeks, according to Douglas, and in her last year she became paranoid about everything from viruses attacking her computer to attempts by the government to recruit her, a la The Manchurian Candidate. Like others, Kamen had wondered if postpartum depression might have played a role in her mental decline. "Sometimes, people can be both mentally ill and highly disciplined, highly structured, highly productive members of society, whether you're talking about science or business or the arts. My sincere condolences to Mr. Douglas and to young Christopher. "I thought it would be inspirational. Hundreds gathered for the memorial service and burial. "We weren't really prepared for the success of the book," Brett said. In the picture, Iris was standing, her head bowed in prayer like a saint or an angel. But, her father said, "In spite of many sessions, Iris did not tell the therapist her deepest thoughts. I will stop by to visit my parents then go for a long walk. 1968 - 2004 . Iris discovered this group of Chinese American activists after she and Brett moved to Northern California when he got a job with Cisco Systems. FINDING IRIS CHANG: FRIENDSHIP, AMBITION, AND THE LOSS OF AN EXTRAORDINARY MIND There was an error and we couldn't process your subscription. John Rylands Research Institute and Library. Chang was born in Princeton, New Jersey and raised in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois. ", Their son, who had turned 2 years old in August, became aware of a change. The group meets to address important issues concerning the Chinese-American community, as well as issues affecting U.S.-China relations on 5/5/03 in New York. But Into the Numbers, by the Chinese-American playwright Christopher Chen, genuinely is. Among her many television appearances was a memorable evening on "Nightline," where she was the only Asian and the only woman among a panel of China experts. Nearby, Bear Creek Road curled up the lonesome hills, thick with black oak. The number of calls to Asian Community Mental Health Services spiked in the days after Iris Chang's death. Iris Chang's coffin was carried to a waiting hearse to be brought to the grave site at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Los Altos. We've seen staged suicides and we've seen homicides. "But this time, I had assumed she was sleeping all day after working all night. "And then we stretched it to six, and then 'The Rape of Nanking' hit the best-seller list and she was out promoting it for almost two years. [14], R.F. Their famous daughter, whose 1997 bestseller, The Rape of Nanking, unearthed the forgotten holocaust of the Second World War when . Dean Baker, a 33-year veteran, took over the investigation. Each breath is becoming difficult for me to take -- the anxiety can be compared to drowning in an open sea. She was trying to be a top-notch mother and she was also trying to prepare for her trip.". Event on 11/16/04 in San Jose. She didn't just ask what had happened, she asked what they had felt. ". ", Christopher was born Aug. 31 that year. [19] Chang was also reportedly deeply disturbed by much of the subject matter of her research. She finally agreed that she would talk to me. [10] Based on the book, an American documentary film, Nanking, was released in 2007. It was obvious she wasn't the same person that she was before," he said. She was very depressed." Iris Shun-Ru Chang (Hanzi tradisional: . ", He added, sadly, "I think if we had, I would have noticed earlier that things were going wrong.". "There were up and down periods," he said. $ 4.79 - $ 21.29. Iris Shun-Ru Chang (March 28, 1968 - November 9, 2004) was an American journalist, author of historical books and political activist. . It was as if he were back in Bataan. There are aspects of my experience in Louisville that I will never understand. They attended lectures but Iris gave fewer talks; she was still recovering from the book tour. They lived on a leafy country road named Einstein Drive. "We wondered what we did with all of our time before we had a son," Brett said, "because of the amount of time that a little one involves. Christopher Douglas is known for The Onedin Line (1971), Early Travellers in North America (1992) and Crown Court (1972). But even before the publication of "The Chinese in America: A Narrative History," Chang had established herself as an invaluable source of information about Asia, human rights, and Asian American history. Iris had been haunted since childhood by the graphic stories she was told about Nanking. Iris Chang was a young child when her parents first told her stories about a slaughter of the Chinese people so horrible as to be almost beyond belief. "Iris was a very strong person, even when she was depressed," said Brett. Iris Chang, who has committed suicide aged 36, was one of the most promising historians in America and a vigorous champion of human rights. Iris Chang, author of The Rape of Nanking, ended her life with a pistol on November 9, 2004. The Rape of Nanking placed her in great demand as a speaker and as an interview subject, and, more broadly, as a spokesperson for the viewpoint that the Japanese government had not done enough to compensate victims of their invasion of China. "Over a year and a half, she visited 65 cities," Brett said. Rabiner sensed the book would be important and signed Iris to write it. It was a Thursday, nine days after her death. They made an appointment to meet Wednesday at the firing range. The most startling thing Kamen uncovered about Chang, however, didnt emerge until after Finding Iris Chang was set in galleys. She did, and, starting in November 2003, would make four trips to meet with Bataan vets -- in Wisconsin, Illinois, Ohio and Kentucky. brookstone therapeutic percussion massager with lcd screen; do nigel and jennifer whalley still own albury park It is far better that you remember me as I wasin my heyday as a best-selling authorthan the wild-eyed wreck who returned from Louisville. Photos for a profile of Iris Chang, a prominent author and historian, who died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. She never did sleep very well or eat very well.". She lived in San Jose, California in the final years of her life.[6][7]. After her death, she became the subject of tributes from fellow writers. Robert Spencer / The Chronicle MANDATORY CREDIT FOR PHOTOG AND SF CHRONICLE/ -MAGS OUT. Iris Chang is best known for two things: writing the explosive bestseller "The Rape of Nanking," and then killing herself. "They had a big fight," he said. She also focused on human rights. [20], On November 9, 2004, at about 9 a.m., Chang was found dead in the driver's seat of her Oldsmobile Alero car by a Santa Clara Valley Water District employee on a rural road south of Los Gatos, California and west of State Route 17, in Santa Clara County. "She had so many bookings, she could easily be on the road for 2 1/2 weeks before coming back home. The medicine made her feel sluggish. MANDATORY CREDIT FOR PHOTOG AND SF CHRONICLE/ -MAGS OUT, Restaurant chain slated to close site at Bay Area mall, Grapevine closed indefinitely due to heavy snow and ice, Graupel falls on Disneyland, shocks guests, Plan to bring bullet train from LA to Vegas is underway, What it looks like inside Coit Towers former apartment, One of the largest movie theaters in SF to close permanently, Hundreds of thousands of workers have abandoned downtown SF, Avalanche slams into Tahoe apartment building amid blizzard, Tahoe's snowfall totals are on track to break records, 'Zero visibility' conditions: All roads to Tahoe are closed, Popular yet divisive fast food chain coming to this Bay Area town, Report: Matthew McConaughey has a massive Salesforce paycheck, 14 things you need in your car before you drive to Tahoe. She committed suicide on November 9, 2004, when she was just 36 years old. We go through her and her husband's (Brett Douglas) house in San jose. They lived on a leafy country road. "It is a scary, dangerous and terrifyingly confusing time. Iris pushed herself "to be the best possible mother and the best possible writer," Brett said. "Clearly, Iris was a strong, smart and directed young woman," Rabiner said. I sensed suddenly threats to my own life: an eerie feeling that I was being followed in the streets, the white van parked outside my house, damaged mail arriving at my P.O. ", Three days before Iris' death, Brett dreamed up a special weekend, just for her. Get our free daily newsletter delivered straight to your inbox Monday through Friday. But the nanny spoke only Mandarin. "This was something of a roots venture for her -- to reconnect with the country that her family had drifted off from," said UC Berkeley's Schell. Christopher Douglas was born on 26 August 1969 in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA. Iris Chang - The woman who loved truth. She would just laugh.". She wound up committing suicide after finishing her book about the Rape of Nanking. 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