2025 | Is it really just one more book story?, by Sarah Dayrell

Hey, guys! Today, I decided to bring a book with one of the most difficult stories for me: The Poppy War, by R. F. Kuang.

I think we all know how wars affect people's lives in different ways and, also, how it was really horrible for a lot of people. So, I'll repeat the question I did at the beggining, is it just a story?

The Poppy War is a book that narrates - very well, by the way - the story of a young girl in a context of a war, and it was based on the Sino-Japanese War. It is interesting to analyze some details of the book, such as its dedication: “This one is for Iris”. Iris was an important american journalist who collected several articles and facts about the Nanking massacre, which was never told. Unfortunately, Iris, because she suffered so much persecution, ended up committing suicide. Then, as a way of honoring her, the author placed several events, such as the Sino-Japanese War and the Nanking massacre, in her own book under different names and in the form of a fantasy.

Kuang tells us a hard story, but totally true; the suffer of being in a such critical moment and how it makes the absurdity possible. In this book, you will see why to prefer a bear to a man and, most important, you will know why The Poppy War is not just one more story.