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The Joy Luck Club’s origin story is the stuff of a first-time novelist’s dreams. Amy Tan was just getting started as a writer when she landed a book deal on the strength of three short stories inspired by her family. The resulting novel, about four Chinese immigrant women and their American-born daughters, was a surprise blockbuster and spent more than forty weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. The reviewer for the Los Angeles Times wrote, “The only negative thing I could ever say about this book is that I’ll never again be able to read it for the first time.” (Heads nodding in agreement.) Tan has gone on to publish five more novels—all of them New York Times bestsellers—as well as two memoirs and two children’s books. She’s been awarded the National Humanities Medal, was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and was a finalist for the National Book Award, the National Book Critics Circle Award, and the Orange Prize. In addition to enriching our lives with unforgettable stories, Tan has helped usher in a generation of writers who, like her, have deepened our understanding of the immigrant experience, including fellow Festival authors Viet Thanh Nguyen, Colum McCann, Marie Arana, Cristina Rivera Garza, Victoria Chang, and Jamie Figueroa. In her latest book, The Backyard Bird Chronicles, Tan turns her attention to a very different kind of traveler. Beginning in 2016, disheartened by the actions of humans, she spent long hours observing the behavior of wild birds in her yard. She accompanied her notes with exquisite pencil sketches and color portraits, and what began as a private pastime turned into yet another New York Times bestseller. The Backyard Bird Chronicles is a reminder to savor everyday moments of beauty and wonder and to let ourselves get lost in nature. “Be the bird,” Tan advises. During these increasingly crazy times, that sounds like a fine idea. We’re delighted to welcome Tan to the Festival at 9:15 a.m. on Saturday, May 17. And since she’s been our crush for decades, it’s fitting that we salute her on Valentine’s Day. As Tan and all of our Festival authors remind us, romantic love may come and go, but great books are forever.
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