Literature - Authors & Writers, Authors - Biography, Asian American Studies, Asians & Asian Americans - Biography

Amy Tan

Name: Amy Tan
Author: Charles Shields
ISBN: 9780791058893

by Charles Shields

Write a review

Overview

Renowned author Amy Tan was born in a Chinese immigrant family who aspired to the prosperity they felt their new homeland offered. Tan wanted the same thing, but it wasn't until she began to write that she found success doing something she loved. Tan was often confused growing up -- torn between her Asian roots and American culture, between following her parents' old-world ways and embracing a new and different lifestyle. As an adult, Tan presented this tension that Asian-American women experience in best-selling novels like The Kitchen God's Wife and The Joy Luck Club, which won the National Book Award in 1989. This biography follows the novelist's life from her difficult childhood through her illustrious career.

Explores the life and career of Amy Tan, from her childhood in California, through her struggle to accept her Chinese heritage, to her career as a writer.

Reviews

There are no reviews yet. Log in to write one.

Editorials

School Library Journal

Gr 5 Up-This fine biography of a second-generation American should be read by all immigrant teens and children of immigrants as they sort out how to cope with their parents and come to an understanding of their own bicultural heritage. The lively, well-organized text, which uses many quotations from interviews with Tan, covers her rebellious youth and her success as a writer. A trip as an adult to China brought her to a better understanding of her mother, from whom she had often been alienated, and to an appreciation of her ethnic background. Later chapters provide an excellent description and discussion of Tan's works. Black-and-white photographs are scattered throughout. This attractive package is similar in content to but more current than Barbara Kramer's Amy Tan (Enslow, 1996) and offers somewhat more analysis of Tan's books. An absorbing read, whether for pleasure or a classroom assignment.-Diane S. Marton, Arlington County Library, VA Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.