A review by cynthiaqi123
Wuhan Diary: Dispatches from the Original Epicenter by Fang Fang

3.0

I admire Fang Fang's courage to speak her truth. As she was locked in her house, like everyone else in Wuhan during those devastating initial months of the COVID-19 outbreak, her decision to chronicle the personal, the mundane, and all moments in between show us what life was like for the majority of those trapped by this virus. Although quite repetitive at times, this was an important read, as I was brought back to the initial inklings of the pandemic while sitting comfortably in my own home during our province's third "lockdown", and with hope that our vaccination campaign will bring back life as we knew it. Our lockdowns were very different than Wuhan's, and as a result, so were our infection curves. Fang Fang's story is also interesting because of the pandemonium that ensued--at first overwhelmingly positive, then suddenly, her followers turned on her. My mom explained that this switch was brought on as soon as readers in China found out her diary was being translated for Western readers to enjoy. Suddenly, she was criticized for being too harsh on the Chinese government's response to the pandemic. Although there was some criticism, I feel like this is only normal, and in fact, the overall tone from her diary was optimistic. Fang Fang's voice remained hopeful because she was inspired by the tenacity of Wuhan's residents, and the efficient response by the government despite their initial blunders. Every organization can benefit from criticism. We don't expect the perfect response, but it's reasonable to demand accountability from our leaders. Those who lost their lives to this virus deserve it, and those who's lives have been irreversibly altered, deserve it as well.