Finding Iris Chang

As with most suicides, the shocking death of writer Iris Chang (THE RAPE OF NANKING) in 2004 left her survivors with many questions. Paula Kamen, a longtime friend and fellow author, attempts to provide some answers, using her personal recollections; interviews with family, friends, and colleagues; and Iris's own diaries and writings. Although the book ultimately provides no definitive answers, a more complete portrait of this complex young woman does emerge. Narrator Bernadette Dunne demonstrates her mastery of the audio format. Without resorting to accent or artifice she presents each voice distinctly, clearly defining the individual's personality and emotion. This is an excellent pairing of material and voice artist. M.O.B. (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine

September 10, 2007
Bestselling author Iris Chang's 2004 suicide at age 36 so shocked friends and colleagues that some initially claimed that Japanese extremists had murdered her to avenge Chang's acclaimed exposé in The Rape of Nanking
of atrocities against Chinese civilians perpetrated by Japanese invaders in 1937–1938. Lacking the artistry of Ann Patchett's recent portrait of her friendship with writer Lucy Grealy, this effort by Kamen (All in My Head
) is a tedious, obsessive, exploitative effort, drawing on her Salon.com eulogy to Chang. Kamen, who had known Chang since college, repeats some of the far-fetched, irresponsible conspiracy theories before settling on the sad truth that Chang, suffering from bipolar disorder, shot herself in the head with an antique pistol after much planning. Kamen describes her admiration for and jealousy of her “rival,” Chang's grating ambitiousness and the first-generation American's attempts at being a “real” American, epitomized by her campaign to be college homecoming queen. Kamen also probes the stigma of mental illness in the Asian-American community, Chang's sense of guilt over her son's autism, her veneer of perfection and the deterioration of her mental state. Despite its flaws, this could find a sizable audience among those Chinese-Americans who lionized Chang. 60,000 first printing.

May 15, 2008
Kamen's biography examines the life of writer and historian Iris Chang ("The Rape of Nanking"), who, at age 36, committed suicide. Kamen, a friend of Chang's, questions whether Chang could separate herself from the atrocities about which she wrote. The author wonders what signs she missed concerning the depth of depression that prompted Chang to take her own life. She interviewed a wide range of people who knew Chang; her professors, friends, sorority sisters, and fellow journalists attested to Chang's intensity and perfectionism, her muckraking journalistic style, her craving for accomplishment, and her desire for others to take notice of her and her work. Overall, Bernadette Dunne is a capable narrator, save for a mispronunciation of "Illini," in reference to Chang's writing for "The Daily Illini" newspaper at the University of Illinois. Not an easy work to listen to given the gravity of the subject matter, "Finding Iris Chang" is an important exploration of the fine line between genius and madness that afflicts so many exemplary writers. Recommended for larger public libraries. [Also available as downloadable audio from Audible.com.Ed.]Lisa Powell Williams, Moline P.L., IL

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