Amy Tan

She met tax attorney Louis DeMattei on a blind date and married him in 1974. The couple does not have any children.

She was diagnosed with Lyme disease in 1999. She helped to form LymeAid 4 Kids in collaboration with the Lyme Disease Association.

Amy Tan was born to Chinese Immigrants John Tan and Daisy. Her father was an electrical engineer and Baptist minister. Her mother had previously been married to an abusive man with whom she had three daughters.

Tragedy struck the household when both her father and brother died of brain tumour within a year. Her mother took 15-year-old Amy and her younger brother to Switzerland.

Her mother wanted her to be a doctor but Amy wanted to pursue a career in writing. She attended the San Jose State University from where she received her master’s degree in English and linguistics.

She completed her doctoral studies in linguistics from the University of California.

After completing her education, she started working as a freelance technical writer, often putting in ninety working hours per week. She was labeled a workaholic by her friends, but she found no joy in her work.

She began writing fiction as a hobby to distract herself from her workaholism. Her stories were appreciated and she was invited to join the Squaw Valley Community of Writers, a fiction writers’ workshop.

Her first novel ‘The Joy Luck Club’ was published in 1989. Though commonly referred to as a novel, the book is actually a collection of 16 interconnected short stories. The novel became a critically acclaimed best seller prompting Tan to pursue fiction writing as a career.

She published her second novel, ‘The Kitchen God’s Wife’ after a gap of two years in 1991. This book dealt with the issue of generation gap that exists between a mother and daughter, and creates hurdles in open communication.

Her first book for children, ‘The Moon Lady’ was published in 1992. It was followed by ‘Sagwa, the Chinese Siamese Cat’ in 1994. Both the books were illustrated by Gretchen Schields.

The book which brought her international fame is her very first novel, ‘The Joy Luck Club’ published in 1989. The novel became an instant bestseller and won her critical acclaim from reviewers. The phenomenal success of this book launched her career as a novelist.