1. 1952-STILL ALIVE! Amy Tan

2. Parents fled communist China shortly before she was born • Settled in Oakland, CA • Father and brother died of brain tumors • Mother took her to Switzerland to finish high school • High-pressure home: • Mom expected her to be a neurosurgeon, and a pianist in her spare time • Defied her mother • Changed colleges to be w/ boyfriend, changed major from pre-med to English • Mother and she did not speak for six months Biography

3. Prompted to write from her mother’s narrative gift • Mom could talk for three hours straight, Tan says • Many of her stories explore dynamic relationship between mothers and daughters • Most famous novel: Joy Luck Club • A mother tells her daughter about life in China Writing