The Joy Luck Club

1. The Joy Luck Club An Introduction

2. Amy Tan • Her Chinese name, An-mei, means “blessing from America. • She was born in Oakland California, in 1952. • She is the only daughter of John and daisy Tan. • She has two brothers, Peter (1950) and John (1954).

3. Amy’s Family • Her parents moved to America, from China, in the late 1940’s. • Her parents moved the family nearly every year, while the kids were children. • Her parents were quite anti-social, but the kids tried hard to fit-in with American culture. • Amy’s parents objected. They wanted their kids to grow-up in America (with many opportunities) but keep their Chinese culture close and strong.

4. Amy’s Childhood • She was unhappy with her Chinese appearance and heritage. • She felt like it was impossible to fit-in, being the only Chinese girl in class from 3rd grade-graduation. • She believed that if she ate more “American” foods, she would end up looking more American. • She slept with a clothespin on her nose, hoping to decrease its Asian shape.

5. Growing Up • Her parents decided that she would be a full-time neurosurgeon and a part-time concert pianist. • Amy’s dream was to become a novelist. • When Amy was 15, her father and brother (Peter) both died of brain tumors within the same year.

6. Growing Up…Continued • Amy was very rebellious. • She dated an older German man who had ties with drug dealers and organized crime. • Her mother had this man arrested, and Amy severed all ties to him. • Amy attended a few colleges, and earned her B.A. in English and an M.A. in linguistics.

7. Her Writing Career • In the early 1980’s, Amy became a business writer. • She was successful, but she did not find happiness in this freelance career (a 90-hour per week job). • She truly dreamed of writing fiction. • In 1985, she wrote a short story, “Endgame,” which told about an amazing, young chess player who had a strained relationship with an overbearing mother. • She received a $50,000 advance for the collection that she expanded this work into. • She dissolved her freelance business and endeavored to finish this collection. She named it The Joy Luck Club.

8. The Joy Luck Club • In 1989, The Joy Luck Club made the New York Times’ best-seller list. • It remained on this list for seven months! • She won several awards. • Paperback rights for this novel sold for more than $1.23 million. • It has been translated into 17 languages.

9. Introduction to The Joy Luck Club • It describes the lives of four Asian women who fled from China in the 1940s and their four Americanized daughters. • The protagonist, Jing-mei Woo, takes her mother’s place at the meetings of the Joy Luck Club. • The women in this group sit, eat, and tell stories about the past. • They also discuss the barriers that exist between them and their daughters.