 The Rape of Nanking sold more than half a million copies when it was first published in the U. S. , and according to The New York Times , received general critical acclaim . Iris Chang became an instant celebrity in the U. S. ; she was awarded honorary degrees , invited to give lectures and to discuss the Nanking Massacre on shows such as Good Morning America , Nightline , and The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer , and was profiled by The New York Times and featured on the cover of Reader 's Digest . The book was on the New York Times ' Best Seller list for 10 weeks and sold more than 125 @,@ 000 copies in four months . Hillary Clinton invited her to the White House , U. S. historian Stephen Ambrose described her as " maybe the best young historian we 've got " , and the Organization of Chinese Americans named her National Woman of the Year . The book 's popularity prompted a lengthy book tour , with Chang visiting 65 cities in over a year and a half . 
