Book Review: Formosa Furies by George Wu

Book Review: Formosa Furies

By Joann Lo

I recently read the new book by George Wu called Formosa Furies, which tells the story of three young Taiwanese “clothizens.” “Clothizens” are kites or flags that have come alive and have their own character and spirit. They fight to protect their countries from the evil gods Raindot and Thundot.

The book is targeted towards children around 9-12, but I enjoyed the book as well. I had bought it to hold onto until my son Dylan, now 15 months old, is older and we can read it together.

Formosa Furies does a great job using the story of these three young freedom fighters as an allegory for Taiwan’s struggle for independence and democracy. The three travel to other young democracies and learn a little about their histories and each country’s wonderful cuisines. I like that this book can expose children to other cultures as well as hopefully help Taiwanese and Taiwanese American/Canadian children feel proud of their heritage.

I spoke briefly to George Wu, the author. He was inspired to create these “clothizen” characters because when he lived in the San Francisco Bay Area, frequently he would take his two children, now 9 and 11, to fly kites.

For many years he had thought about writing a story for his children to help them better appreciate Taiwan, and by the time he finally did it, they loved chapter books, so that became the format for Formosa Furies. George also hopes to inspire children in Taiwan to better appreciate their home country, and so he has offered to donate copies of his book to NATWA’s book project, which sends English-language books to schools and libraries in Taiwan.

This would make a great holiday gift! NATWA II is selling Formosa Furies for $15 as a fundraiser for our programs. If you would like to buy a copy, please email us at natwa2admin@natwa.com to reserve your copy. You can send a check made out to NATWA for $18 ($3 for shipping) to:

NATWA II

c/o Joann Lo

939 N. Isabel St.

Glendale, CA 91207