When Brilliance Meets Challenge by Joyce Zhao and Joshua Hits #1 on Amazon
SAN FRANCISCO, CA, October 26, 2026. Gifted Books announces that When Brilliance Meets Challenge: A 2E Family's Awakening Journey (Chinese Edition), 当才华遇到挑战：一个 2E 家庭的觉醒之旅, by Joyce Zhao and her son Joshua, held the #1 spot on Amazon for more than two weeks in early September, in two Kindle Store categories, Parent Participation in Education and Chinese (Simplified) eBooks. It also climbed to #3 in Gifted Students Education.
This book was written by a mother and her 16-year-old son, each telling their side of the same years. Joyce writes about the worry and control she brought into raising a twice-exceptional child, and what it took to let go of it. Joshua writes as the teenager on the other side of those conversations. Their story moves from Singapore to Silicon Valley, and it does not pretend the hard parts were tidy.
Very few Chinese-language books exist on 2E and neurodiversity. Many Chinese families raising bright kids who also struggle have had to piece things together from English sources, or figure it out alone. Joyce and Joshua wrote this book for those parents. It includes fireside conversations with experts such as Dr. Li-Rong Lilly Cheng, Professor Emerita at San Diego State University, along with practical resources the two of them gathered over years of searching.
Lawrence Fung, MD, PhD, Associate Professor at the Stanford University School of Medicine, called the book "both an inspiring masterpiece and an incredibly practical resource" for parents, educators, and clinicians.
"I've read a lot of parenting books. Not many of them let the kid talk back," said Lucy Chen, founder of Gifted Books. "Joyce was willing to put her mistakes on the page, and Joshua was willing to say how those years felt to him. Chinese families rarely see that kind of honesty in print. I think that's why readers found it so fast."
Get the Kindle edition on Amazon
Learn more about the book and its authors
About the Authors
Joyce Zhao is a human resources consultant based in Singapore and Silicon Valley. Joshua is a high school student. In March 2026, they co-founded Twice Exceptional Compass (2E Compass), a nonprofit that supports Chinese families around the world.
About Gifted Books
Gifted Books is an independent publisher founded by Lucy Chen in 2022. It works with first-time authors from many backgrounds and handles editing, cover design, ISBN, and publishing, so writers can focus on the story only they can tell.
For media inquiries or publishing questions, contact hello@giftedcoaching.info or visit GiftedCoaching.info.
