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AMYTANTWOKINDSI.BIOGRAPHICSKETCHA.FAMILYBACKGROUNDANDEDUCATIONAMYTANWASBORNONFEBRUARY19,1952,TOJOHNANDDAISYTANWHOIMMIGRATEDTOUNITEDSTATESTOESCAPEFROMTHECHINESECIVILWARIN1949,WHENTHECOMMUNISTTOOKOVERTHECOUNTRY.BORNINOAKLAND,CALIFORNIA,TANLIVEDANDMOVEDSEVERALTIMESWITHHERFATHER,WHOWASANELECTRONICENGINEERANDABAPTISTMINISTER,ANDHERMOTHER,AVOCATIONALNURSE.WHENSHEWASMERELYFOURTEEN,TANANDHERBROTHERPETERMOVEDTOSWITZERLANDWITHMRS.TANAFTERJOHNTANANDTHEELDESTSONOFTHEFAMILYDIEDOFBRAINTUMORS.THEREINSWITZERLAND,TANMANAGEDTOGRADUATEFROMHIGHSCHOOLASAFOREIGNER,STRIVINGTOLIVEWITHHERMOTHERTHROUGHARGUMENTSANDFAMILYTURMOIL.IN1969,THEFAMILYMOVEDBACKTOSTATESANDSETTLEDDOWNINSANTACLARA,CALIFORNIA.THECONSTANTCONFLICTBETWEENTANANDHERMOTHERLASTEDFORSOMETIMESOTHATTHEYDIDNOTCONTACTNORCOMMUNICATEWITHEACHOTHERFORHALFOFAYEAR.LIKEMANYCHINESEPARENTS'EXPECTATIONOFWANTINGTHEIROFFSPRINGTOBECOMEMEDICALDOCTORS,TAN'SMOTHERWASNOEXCEPTION.MRS.TANHASHIGHEXPECTATIONONTANANDHENCESHESENTHEROFFTOLINFIELDCOLLEGEINMCMINNVILLE,OREGON,FORHERMEDICALEDUCATION.DESPITEFAITHFULLYCOMMITTINGTOHERMOTHER'SWISH,TANMETLOUDEMATTEIANDFOLLOWEDHIMTOSANJOSECITYCOLLEGETOCONTINUEHERSTUDY.SHECHANGEDHERSTUDYSUBJECTTOLINGUISTICSANDGRADUATEDASADOUBLEMAJOR:BAOFLINGUISTICSANDENGLISH.SANJOSESTATEUNIVERSITYGRANTEDHERAMASTERDEGREEINLINGUISTICSIN1973,ANDAFTERTHAT,SHEWASADMITTEDASADOCTORALSTUDENTINLINGUISTICSWITHFELLOWSHIPINUNIVERSITYOFCALIFORNIAATBERKELEY.YET,SHEDECIDEDTOQUITTHEPROGRAMAFTERONEYEARANDBEGANTOWORKASALANGUAGEDEVELOPMENTCONSULTANT.BYTHEN,SHEHASBECOMEMRS.DEMATTEI,ANDTHEFAMILYWASPROSPEROUSWITHLOU'STAXLAWBUSINESSANDHEROWNCAREEROFHELPINGDISABLEDCHILDREN.THEJOBLATERGOTHERAPOSITIONOFEDITINGAMEDICALJOURNAL.BUTAFTER1983,TANSWITCHEDTOBEABUSINESS/TECHNICALWRITER.THEBLOOMINGFINANCIALENVIRONMENT,HOWEVER,DIDNOTBRINGALONGHAPPINESSFORTAN.SHEWASMENTALLYTROUBLEDANDHENCEBEGANTOSEEKFORPROFESSIONALPSYCHOLOGICALHELP.AFTERAFAILUREOFPSYCHOLOGICALCOUNSELINGSESSION,TANSETHERHEARTTOWRITINGFORCURINGHERSELF.SHETHENSTARTEDTOWRITETOSHAREANDTOCURE.B.SIGNIFICANTINFLUENCEONTANANDHERWORKITISTHECONSTANTCONFLICTWITHDAISYTAN,HERMOTHER,ANDTHEEMOTIONALTURMOILTHATDAISYHASBESTOWEDONHERTHATHAVEMADETANDISCOVERTHERESOURCESOFSCHEMINGHERSUCCESSFULNOVELS.DAISYTAN'SEARLYLIFEANDBIOGRAPHICALSTORIESWERELEGENDSTHEMSELVES.GREWUPINANOLDESTEEMEDFAMILYINSHANGHAI,SHEWITNESSEDHERMOTHER'STRAGICLIFE.AFTERHERSCHOLARHUSBAND'SDEATH,JINGMEI,TAN'SMATERNALGRANDMOTHER,WASRAPEDANDTAKENASALOW-RANKEDCONCUBINEBYAWEALTHYINDUSTRIALIST.SHEBROUGHTDAISYWITHHERTOLIVEINTHEWEALTHYFAMILYINSHANGHAIANDCONFIDEDHERDILEMMATICSUFFERINGWITHHERDAUGHTERBEFORESHECOMMITTEDSUICIDE.DAISYGREWUPWITHPAINFULLOSSOFHERMOTHERANDGOTMARRIEDEARLY,BUTSHEDIDNOTLIVEAHAPPYLIFEAFTERWARD;INSTEAD,DAISYWASMALTREATEDBYHERVIOLENTANDABUSIVECHAUVINISTHUSBANDWANGZOTHATLATERTOOKAWAYHERRIGHTOFVISITINGHERTHREEDAUGHTERS,ANDFURTHERHADHERPERSECUTEDTOPRISONFORTWOYEARSAFTERSHEESCAPEDANDDIVORCEDHIM.DURINGTHESINO-JAPANESEWAR,SHEFLEWWITHJOHNTAN,ABRILLIANTSTUDENTWHOREJECTEDMIT'SOFFERBUTATTENDEDBERKELEYBAPTISTDIVINITYSCHOOL,ANDTHEREAFTER,THEYIMMIGRATEDTOSTATES.TAN'SFIRSTTWOANDTHEMOSTWELLKNOWNWORKSPUTONETHEMECENTER-STAGED–THERELATIONSHIPOFTHETRADITIONALIMMIGRANTMOTHERANDTHESECONDGENERATIONCHINESE-AMERICANDAUGHTER.INACCORDANCEWITHDAISY'SSTORIESANDTAN'SOWNCHILDHOODHARDSHIP,GROWINGUPUNDERSEVERESUPERVISIONANDWITHHIGHSTANDARDSFOREVERYTHING,SHESCHEMATICALLYTELLSTHESTORYOFHERMOTHER,HERGRANDMOTHERANDOTHERFEMALERELATEDORUNRELATEDACQUAINTANCE,ALONGWITHTHEAIDSOFTHEANCIENTFOLKLORES,STORIESANDLEGENDSTHATSHELEARNEDFROMHERFATHERWHENSHEWASACHILD.THROUGHHERSKILLFULWRITINGTECHNIQUESANDBRILLIANTSTORY-TELLING,TAN'SFIRSTPUBLICATIONOFTHEFIRSTNOVELSWEPTTHEWORLDANDHERNAMEHASTHEBECOMEAHOUSEHOLDONE.II.HERWORKSRAISEDBYADETERMINEDMOTHERWHOSELEGENDARYBIOGRAPHICALSTORIESAREALREADYFASCINATING,AMYTANEXPLICITLYEXPRESSEDHERLOVE-HATERELATIONSHIPWITHHERSTRICTMOTHERWHOHADONETIMEMENTALLYTORMENTEDHERWITHOVERLOADEDEXPECTATIONANDEMOTIONALDRAMATICREACTIONS.FEDWITHANCIENTCHINESELEGENDS,FOLKSTORIES,TRADITIONSANDSUPERSTITIOUSBELIEFS,TANGREWUPINABICULTURALENVIRONMENT,FEELINGTHECOMPLEXITYANDDIFFICULTYINHERLIFE,JUSTLIKEMANYSECOND-GENERATIONCHINESE-AMERICANS.A.JOYLUCKCLUBTHISFIRSTNOVELOFTAN'SWASNOTMEANTTOBEANOVEL,ORIGINALLY;YETAFTERHERSTORYAPPEAREDINSEVERALMAJORMAGAZINES,ANAGENTCAMETOHERANDENCOURAGEDHERTOCOMPILEALLTHOSEINTERESTINGSHORTSTORIESINTOANOVELTHATISADDRESSINGTOTHECOMMUNITY.TANACCEPTEDTHEIDEAANDINITIATEDHERWRITINGSAVIDLY.FURTHERMORE,THEREWASDAISY'SDEPRESSIONANDHEARTATTACKTHATALMOSTTOOKAWAYHERLIFE;ALLOFTHEMISFORTUNESBROUGHTTANCLEARACKNOWLEDGEMENTOFTHEFEAROFLOSINGHERMOTHERANDTHEFULFILLMENTOFHERMOTHER'SWISHES.THESHORTSTORIESWEREHENCEARRANGED,ORGANIZEDANDPUBLISHEDASANOVELWITHTHEPLOTINTERWOVENWITHFOURPAIRSOFMOTHER-DAUGHTERRELATIONSHIPS.WITHINEACHFEMALECHARACTERINJOYLUCKCLUB,THEREARESHADOWSOFDAISYTAN,DAISY'SMOTHERANDTAN.TANDEPICTSTHECONFLICTS,LOVE,UPHEAVAL,ENTANGLEDANDTHEDILEMMATICSITUATIONSBETWEENTHEELDERGENERATIONANDTHEYOUNGERONE.THECONVENTIONALCHINESEMOTHERSANDTHEIRCHINESE-AMERICANDAUGHTERSLEARNFROMEACHOTHERTHROUGHTHEPIVOTALEVENTSANDISSUESSUCHAS