Julie Wu is a Taiwanese-American novelist and medical doctor. She is the author of the novel The Third Son (2013), published by Algonquin Books.^[1]

Life and career

Wu was born on April 2, 1967.^[2] She graduated from Harvard University with a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in Literature, magna cum laude, and received her Medical Doctorate (MD degree) from the Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons.^[2][3] Wu entered the medical field partly because she believed that a medical career would benefit her as a writer.^[4] She completed her residency in internal medicine and then began practicing as a primary care physician.^[5] Wu then closed her medical practice upon wanting to focus her time on her writing and on her children.^[5] Wu is also a recipient of a 2012 Massachusetts Cultural Council fellowship, and has also received a writing grant from the Vermont Studio Center.^[2][6] She was once enrolled at the Indiana University at Bloomington master's program in vocal performance.^[2]

Novels

Wu wrote and published The Third Son in 2013, via Algonquin Books.^[5] The novel revolves around a boy named Saburo and is set against the backdrop of occupied 1950s Taiwan and America at the dawn of the space age.^[7] The novel received positive reviews from The Boston Globe, O the Oprah Magazine, Kirkus Reviews, The Christian Science Monitor, Shelf Awareness and more.^[8]

Background on The Third Son

Upon researching the political history of Taiwan and learning of the "2/28", Wu decided to write a novel that communicated the experience of the Taiwanese under Japanese rule and bridged the silence surrounding this time period.^[9] Wu stated that the inspiration for her debut novel evolved first from an initial desire to write the "Great American Novel" to a desire to provide a voice for the Taiwanese and their history.^[9] Wu ultimately wanted to write a story that would educate the American public stating that, "...[the novel] evolved partly from [my parents'] story but...I really fictionalized it...so that it would introduce people who wouldn't normally learn about Taiwanese history to Taiwanese history."^[9]