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mcfizzle's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
lesserjoke's review against another edition
4.0
Originally published as a series of daily blog posts from late January to late March of 2020, this book recounts Chinese author Fang Fang's experiences in the initial epicenter of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. At the time, the city went into lockdown in an (unfortunately futile) effort to contain the virus, and Fang, a lifelong Wuhan resident, was there to offer her perspective and attempt to corral all the breaking information and personal stories that came her way. The 65-year-old academic gained a global audience through her writing, as well as some objections over accuracy and critiques that she was either too hard or too soft on the local political response.
It's interesting to read Fang's words in translation a few months later on. A lot of what's novel for her and her neighbors has become our unhappy new normal -- shelter-in-place ordinances, face masks, grocery shortages, business closures, etc. -- and the unintentional foreshadowing is somewhat uncanny, even though Fang never once predicts that the epidemic will go worldwide. The blogger is also presenting what she learns about the coronavirus as she hears it, so there are a few claims, as she warns in a foreword to the finished text, that we now know are incorrect. And in fact, a growing theme across the diary is her anger at the early experts who told people that the disease was a minor concern that could not spread from human to human.
Removed from the context of a digital ecosystem there are pieces to this work that fall a little flat, especially the writer's snippy reactions to contemporary critics and aggravation at the government censors who take down her entries without explanation. Yet she has a keen eye for observation and the valuable ability to synthesize a narrative from disparate strands, and she helps provide a sense not just of what life was like in that moment, but also of how the quarantine was almost destined to fail.
We are still far from the end of the crisis, and it's difficult to predict how future generations will someday look back and study all this. But it would not surprise me if Fang Fang's on-the-ground reporting becomes key testimony in that regard.
--Subscribe at https://patreon.com/lesserjoke to support these reviews and weigh in on what I read next!--
Find me on Patreon | Goodreads | Blog | Twitter
It's interesting to read Fang's words in translation a few months later on. A lot of what's novel for her and her neighbors has become our unhappy new normal -- shelter-in-place ordinances, face masks, grocery shortages, business closures, etc. -- and the unintentional foreshadowing is somewhat uncanny, even though Fang never once predicts that the epidemic will go worldwide. The blogger is also presenting what she learns about the coronavirus as she hears it, so there are a few claims, as she warns in a foreword to the finished text, that we now know are incorrect. And in fact, a growing theme across the diary is her anger at the early experts who told people that the disease was a minor concern that could not spread from human to human.
Removed from the context of a digital ecosystem there are pieces to this work that fall a little flat, especially the writer's snippy reactions to contemporary critics and aggravation at the government censors who take down her entries without explanation. Yet she has a keen eye for observation and the valuable ability to synthesize a narrative from disparate strands, and she helps provide a sense not just of what life was like in that moment, but also of how the quarantine was almost destined to fail.
We are still far from the end of the crisis, and it's difficult to predict how future generations will someday look back and study all this. But it would not surprise me if Fang Fang's on-the-ground reporting becomes key testimony in that regard.
--Subscribe at https://patreon.com/lesserjoke to support these reviews and weigh in on what I read next!--
Find me on Patreon | Goodreads | Blog | Twitter
deltagirl's review against another edition
Not interested in anything quarantine or flue/pandemic related
lunasbookrants's review against another edition
4.0
First thing first: if you are only reading this book for the sake of getting more dirt on the CCP, then you are coming to the wrong place. Granted, this book is biased, but this is because the book is written from the perspective of an average Wuhan citizen who witnessed the entirety of the Chinese government's dealing from her humble perspective, plus a few interviews that she has done with some medical authorities. She is not a professional reporter, nor does she have access to all inside information regarding to China's coronavirus situation. Bear in mind that this is a DIARY, as one of the comments written above me has pointed out, and it is impossible for the writer to give an extensive narrative on this matter. Also, I would like to point out that this piece of writing was heavily censored and criticized by the pro-CCP people in China solely because Fang Fang calls for the public to hold the government accountable for their actions (which is actually the main point of this book, mentioned at the end of many chapters), which further proves that this book is in no way a political propaganda defending the CCP.
I read the Mandarin version of the book and a few excerpts of the English translation. Frankly, I do not think that the translation's doing the book justice. Fang Fang has a simplicity and unique Chinese humor in her writing that are lost from translation, which make the book less sincere. This is why I am giving the book four stars. But otherwise I think this is a wonderful and honest book. Her most amazing talent, I think, is that she uses everyday events to convey the emotion of the masses. For example, she notes that at one point people's emotions become numb from losing so many loved ones to coronavirus (almost every one knows someone who died from the virus) to the point that people can't even cry anymore. Instead, they channel their fury to cursing the incompetent government both online and offline. This is actually a brilliant way of criticizing the lack of freedom of speech in the Chinese society. The people of Wuhan has obviously realized this when the death toll in the city soared, all because the provincial government and the so-called "experts" attempt to cover up the severity of the disease from public. On the other hand, Fang Fang brings up the memes that Chinese people created online, as well as the heart-warming support within individual communities/neighborhoods to show optimism and stamina that the Chinese people displayed during this time of crisis, which make the situation more bearable.
As I have said before, this diary is a honest narrative, providing us a glimpse into Wuhan during its lockdown. The writing is not perfect (understandable, since it's all written online with little furnishing), but the raw emotions that it conveys make this book worth a read. It's also interesting to see how many more Chinese people are beginning to realize the importance of freedom of speech through this incident, and are brave enough to speak up, to encourage each other, and to criticize the authority for its wrongdoings. This is a valuable lesson that both the CCP and the Chinese people need to learn, because we can't afford another pandemic like this again. Hopefully, after this incident, the Chinese people can finally earn their freedom of speech (or at least a bit more).
I read the Mandarin version of the book and a few excerpts of the English translation. Frankly, I do not think that the translation's doing the book justice. Fang Fang has a simplicity and unique Chinese humor in her writing that are lost from translation, which make the book less sincere. This is why I am giving the book four stars. But otherwise I think this is a wonderful and honest book. Her most amazing talent, I think, is that she uses everyday events to convey the emotion of the masses. For example, she notes that at one point people's emotions become numb from losing so many loved ones to coronavirus (almost every one knows someone who died from the virus) to the point that people can't even cry anymore. Instead, they channel their fury to cursing the incompetent government both online and offline. This is actually a brilliant way of criticizing the lack of freedom of speech in the Chinese society. The people of Wuhan has obviously realized this when the death toll in the city soared, all because the provincial government and the so-called "experts" attempt to cover up the severity of the disease from public. On the other hand, Fang Fang brings up the memes that Chinese people created online, as well as the heart-warming support within individual communities/neighborhoods to show optimism and stamina that the Chinese people displayed during this time of crisis, which make the situation more bearable.
As I have said before, this diary is a honest narrative, providing us a glimpse into Wuhan during its lockdown. The writing is not perfect (understandable, since it's all written online with little furnishing), but the raw emotions that it conveys make this book worth a read. It's also interesting to see how many more Chinese people are beginning to realize the importance of freedom of speech through this incident, and are brave enough to speak up, to encourage each other, and to criticize the authority for its wrongdoings. This is a valuable lesson that both the CCP and the Chinese people need to learn, because we can't afford another pandemic like this again. Hopefully, after this incident, the Chinese people can finally earn their freedom of speech (or at least a bit more).
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