In December 1937, the Japanese army swept into the ancient city of Nanking. Within weeks, more than 300,000 Chinese civilians were systematically raped, tortured, and murdered--a death toll exceeding that of the atomic blasts of Hiroshima and Nagasaki combined. Using extensive interviews with survivors and newly discovered documents, Iris Chang has written what will surely be the definitive history of this horrifying episode. The Rape of Nanking tells the story from three perspectives: of the Japanese soldiers who performed it, of the Chinese civilians who endured it, and of a group of Europeans and Americans who refused to abandon the city and were able to create a safety zone that saved almost 300,000 Chinese. Among these was the Nazi John Rabe, an unlikely hero whom Chang calls the "Oskar Schindler of China" and who worked tirelessly to protect the innocent and publicize the horror. More than just narrating the details of an orgy of violence, The Rape of Nanking analyzes the militaristic culture that fostered in the Japanese soldiers a total disregard for human life. Finally, it tells the appalling story: about how the advent of the Cold War led to a concerted effort on the part of the West and even the Chinese to stifle open discussion of this atrocity. Indeed, Chang characterizes this conspiracy of silence, that persists to this day, as "a second rape."

张纯如（Iris Chang），1989年毕业于伊利诺伊大学厄巴纳•香槟分校，获新闻学学士学位。毕业后在芝加哥度过了短暂的记者生涯，之后在约翰•霍普金斯大学获写作硕士学位。作为美国著名的年轻历史学家之一，张纯如曾获得众多荣誉，包括麦克阿瑟基金会和平与国际合作项目奖、华裔美国人组织年度女性奖、伍斯特学院名誉博士、加州州立大学东湾分校名誉博士等。1991年，张纯如与布雷特•道格拉斯（Brett Douglas）结婚，并育有一子。

她的作品刊登在《新闻周刊》、《纽约时报》、《洛杉矶时报》等多家出版物上，此外，她还接受众多电视和广播节目的采访，并发表过众多演讲。除了《南京大屠杀》之外，张纯如还有《蚕丝》（Thread of the Silkworm）和《美国华人》（The Chinese in America）两部著作问世。

2004年11月9日，张纯如在美国加利福尼亚州自己的轿车内开枪自杀。