Iris Chang, the Chinese-American historian whose 1997 book, 'The Rape of Nanking', documented Japanese atrocities in China during World War II, was found dead in her car yesterday. A motorist discovered the body just south of Chang's home town of Los Gatos and notified police. The police believe Chang took her own life.
She was 36 years old.

Chang was considered one of the top non-fiction authors in the country. 'The Rape of Nanking' was the first extensive English langauge study on the extensive killings, rapes and destruction systematically perpetrated by the Japanese in Nanking provence during World War II. The book remained on the 'New York Times' bestsellers list for many months and was critically acclaimed.

In 2003, Chang published her final book, 'The Chinese in America: A Narrative History' which followed the lives of Chinese immigrants to the United States over the past 150 years.

Chang was born in Princeton, New Jersey and had formerly worked as a reporter before turning to writing history. An official cause of death should be released in a few days.