 The book was the main source of fame for Iris Chang , who was well respected in China for raising awareness of the Nanking Massacre in the Western world . At the same time , Chang received hate mail , primarily from Japanese ultranationalists , threatening notes on her car and believed her phone was tapped . Her mother said the book " made Iris sad " . Suffering from depression , Chang was diagnosed with brief reactive psychosis in August 2004 . She began taking medications to stabilize her mood . She wrote : 
