Amy Tan Biography, Books, and Similar Authors

Author Biography  | Books by this Author  | Read-Alikes

Amy Tan

Amy Tan

Amy Tan Biography

Born in the US to immigrant parents from China, Amy Tan failed her mother's expectations that she become a doctor and concert pianist. She settled on writing fiction. Her novels are The Joy Luck Club, The Kitchen God's Wife, The Hundred Secret Senses, The Bonesetter's Daughter, and Saving Fish From Drowning, all New York Times bestsellers and the recipients of various awards. She is also the author of a memoir, The Opposite of Fate, two children's books, The Moon Lady and Sagwa, and numerous articles for magazines, including The New Yorker, Harper's Bazaar, and National Geographic.

Tan has lectured internationally at universities, including Stanford, Oxford, Jagiellonian, Beijing, and Georgetown, both in Washington, DC and Doha, Qatar. Tan also served as the Literary Editor for the Los Angeles Times magazine, West.

She created the libretto for The Bonesetter's Daughter, which premiered in September 2008 with the San Francisco Opera. Tan's other musical work for the stage is limited to performing with the literary garage band the Rock Bottom Remainders, whose members include Stephen King, Dave Barry, and Scott Turow. Their yearly gigs have managed to raise over a million dollars for literacy programs.

Amy Tan's website

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Books by this Author

Books by Amy Tan at BookBrowse
Where the Past Begins jacket The Valley of Amazement jacket Saving Fish From Drowning jacket The Bonesetter's Daughter jacket
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Read-Alikes

All the books below are recommended as read-alikes for Amy Tan but some maybe more relevant to you than others depending on which books by the author you have read and enjoyed. So look for the suggested read-alikes by title linked on the right.
How we choose read-alikes

  • Anita Rau Badami

    Anita Rau Badami

    Born in the eastern town of Rourkela, Badami spent her childhood drifting around India as her father, a mechanical engineer and train designer, was transferred frequently. Her family moved at least eight times before she ... (more)

    If you enjoyed:
    The Bonesetter's Daughter

    Try:
    Tamarind Woman
    by Anita Rau Badami

  • Mischa Berlinski

    Mischa Berlinski

    Mischa Berlinski is the author of Fieldwork, a finalist for the National Book Award, and Peacekeeping. He has written for the New York Review of Books, Men's Journal, and Harper's Magazine, and his writing has appeared in ... (more)

    If you enjoyed:
    Saving Fish From Drowning

    Try:
    Fieldwork
    by Mischa Berlinski

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