Gloria Chao

loria Chao’s path to becoming a writer was not a straightforward one. Following her parents’ expectations for her to pursue a path in math/science, she attended MIT as an undergraduate and then went to dental school. In dental school, Chao found herself reading YA books as a stress reliever; she also wrote the first draft of a manuscript. Eventually, she made the leap from full-time dentist to full-time writer. Her second novel, , follows Taiwanese-American teenager Ali Chu as she navigates her cultural identity, family secrets, and first love in rural Indiana. Woven throughout the book is Chao’s imaginative retelling of the Chinese folktale , which adds another compelling layer of storytelling to the narrative. Her third novel, is due out in fall 2020.