New children's book 'Masked Hero' ties family history, public health and cultural pride together

The N-95 and other respiratory masks have become a common part of our lives because of the COVID-19 pandemic. But for Dr. Shan Woo Liu, the face mask is also a piece of family history.

Liu, an emergency medicine physician at Massachusetts General Hospital, wrote a book along with her daughter, Kaili, called "Masked Hero." It tells how Liu's great-grandfather, Dr. Wu Lien-teh, ended a plague by creating the predecessor of what is now the N-95 mask more than a century ago.

Dr. Liu joined Radio Boston to talk about Dr. Wu’s story and how his legacy lives on today.