Gloria Chao

Gloria Chao writes teen fiction about identity, family expectations, and the ways teenagers learn to speak for themselves. Our Wayward Fate follows Ali Chu, a Taiwanese American student in a predominantly white Indiana town, whose life changes when Chase Yu arrives at her school. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers published the novel in 2019, pairing their developing relationship with Ali’s efforts to confront casual prejudice, family secrecy, and pressure to remain unobtrusive. Chao also threads scenes from the Chinese folktale The Butterfly Lovers through Ali’s story, giving the contemporary plot a historical echo. Chao studied at MIT and practiced dentistry before turning to novels, an unusual professional route that informs the precision and empathy of her character work. Her earlier novel American Panda likewise examines family duty and self-definition, while Our Wayward Fate shifts the setting to a small Midwestern community. The result is a culturally specific coming-of-age novel with humor, conflict, and a clear interest in belonging.