Tan, Amy

Tan, Amy,

1952–, American novelist, b. Oakland, Calif. The daughter of Chinese immigrants, she has taken for her theme the lives of Asian-Americans and the generational and cultural differences among them, concentrating on women's experiences. Tan's novels include The Joy Luck Club (1989), The Kitchen God's Wife (1991), The Hundred Secret Senses (1995), The Bonesetter's Daughter (2001), and The Valley of Amazement (2013). She has also written a children's book, The Moon Lady (1992), essays, e.g., the autobiographical pieces collected in The Opposite of Fate (2003), and a memoir, Where the Past Begins (2017).