Book Series Guide

Amy Tan

Author guide

Amy Tan Books in Order

Amy Tan is an American author born in Oakland, California, in 1952 to Chinese immigrant parents. Her debut novel, The Joy Luck Club, established her as a major contemporary writer and began a body of work focused on intergenerational relationships, migration, language, memory, and identity. Her bibliography includes six novels, memoirs, essays, children's books, co-authored nonfiction, a separately published novella, an opera libretto, and an illustrated work of nature writing. She has also written for major periodicals and collaborated on the film adaptation of The Joy Luck Club.

literary fictionhistorical fictionmemoiressaysshort fictionchildren's literaturenature writinglibretto

Catalog record updated .

Amy Tan's Newest Book

Cover of The Backyard Bird Chronicles

The Backyard Bird Chronicles

illustrated nonfiction · First published 2024

Tracking the natural beauty that surrounds us, The Backyard Bird Chronicles maps the passage of time through daily entries, thoughtful questions, and beautiful original sketches. With boundless charm and wit, author Amy Tan charts her foray into birding and the natural wonders of the world. In 2016, Amy Tan grew overwhelmed by the state of the world: Hatred and misinformation became a daily presence on social media, and the country felt more divisive than ever. In search of peace, Tan turned toward the natural world just beyond her window and, specifically, the birds visiting her yard. But what began as an attempt to find solace turned into something far greater—an opportunity to savor quiet moments during a volatile time, connect to nature in a meaningful way, and imagine the intricate lives of the birds she admired.

Not sure where to begin?

Start with one of these

Cover of The Joy Luck Club

The Joy Luck Club

Best introduction to Amy Tan's central themes, narrative style, and Chinese American family fiction.

Outside the series

Bibliography by category

Novels (8)
  1. The Joy Luck Club

    novel · 1989

    Four mothers, four daughters, four families, whose histories shift with the four winds depending on who's telling the stories. In 1949, four Chinese women, recent immigrants to San Francisco, meet weekly to play mahjong and tell stories…

  2. The Kitchen God's Wife

    novel · 1991

    Winnie and Helen have kept each other's worst secrets for more than fifty years. Now, because she believes she is dying, Helen wants to expose everything. And Winnie angrily determines that she must be the one to tell her daughter, Pearl,…

  3. The Hundred Secret Senses

    novel · 1995

    Een vrouw van half-Chinese afkomst vindt haar wortels via haar Chinese halfzusje en een tocht naar China en het dorp van haar vader.

  4. The Bonesetter's Daughter

    novel · 2001

    A mother and daughter find what they share in their bones in this compelling novel from the bestselling author of The Joy Luck Club and Where the Past Begins: A Writer’s Memoir. Ruth Young and her widowed mother have always had a…

  5. Saving Fish from Drowning

    novel · 2005

    A provocative new novel from the bestselling author of The Joy Luck Club and The Bonesetter's DaughterOn an ill-fated art expedition into the southern Shan state of Burma, eleven Americans leave their FloatingIsland Resort for a…

  6. Rules for Virgins

    novella · 2012

  7. The Valley of Amazement

    novel · 2013

    Violet Minturn, a half-Chinese/half-American courtesan who deals in seduction and illusion in Shanghai, struggles to find her place in the world, while her mother, Lucia, tries to make sense of the choices she has made and the men who…

  8. The Backyard Bird Chronicles

    illustrated nonfiction · 2024

    Tracking the natural beauty that surrounds us, The Backyard Bird Chronicles maps the passage of time through daily entries, thoughtful questions, and beautiful original sketches. With boundless charm and wit, author Amy Tan charts her…

Nonfiction (2)
  1. The Opposite of Fate: Memories of a Writing Life

    memoir · 2003

    Autobiografisch relaas van de Chinees-Amerikaanse schrijfster (1952- ) over haar schrijverschap.

  2. Where the Past Begins: Memory and Imagination

    memoir · 2017

    By delving into vivid memories of her traumatic childhood, confessions of self-doubt in her journals, and heartbreaking letters to and from her mother, bestselling author Amy Tan gives evidence to all that made it both unlikely and…

Children's books (2)
  1. The Moon Lady

    children's book · 1992

    Nai-nai tells her granddaughters the story of her outing, as a seven-year-old girl in China, to see the Moon Lady and be granted a secret wish. Suggested level: primary.

  2. Sagwa, the Chinese Siamese Cat

    children's book · 1994

    Ming Miao tells her kittens about the antics of one of their ancestors, Sagwa of China, that produced the unusual markings they have had for thousands of years.

Plays (1)
  1. The Bonesetter's Daughter

    opera libretto · 2008

Collaborations (2)
  1. Mid-Life Confidential: The Rock Bottom Remainders Tour America with Three Chords and an Attitude

    co-authored nonfiction · 1994

  2. Hard Listening: The Greatest Rock Band Ever (of Authors) Tells All

    co-authored nonfiction · 2013

Frequently asked questions about Amy Tan

Who is Amy Tan, and what is her cultural background?

Amy Tan is an American author born in Oakland, California, in 1952 to Chinese immigrant parents. She grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area in a multilingual immigrant family.

Sources: amytan.net (opens in a new tab)neh.gov (opens in a new tab)

What inspired Amy Tan to write about mothers, daughters, and immigration?

Tan has drawn heavily on her mother’s life, family memories, immigrant history, and the tensions between generations and languages. Her 1987 trip to China with her mother also deepened her connection to her family’s past.

Sources: arts.gov (opens in a new tab)arts.gov (opens in a new tab)

How did Amy Tan begin her writing career?

Before writing fiction, Tan worked in child-development programs and as a freelance business writer. She attended a fiction workshop in 1985, published her first story in 1986, and soon became a full-time literary author.

Sources: amytan.net (opens in a new tab)neh.gov (opens in a new tab)

What major awards and honors has Amy Tan received?

Tan received the 2021 National Humanities Medal for expanding the American literary canon through her exploration of immigrant families, heritage, and memory. Her honors also include the Commonwealth Gold Award, the Carl Sandburg Award, and the 2024 NYPL Library Lion.

Sources: neh.gov (opens in a new tab)amacad.org (opens in a new tab)

Why is Amy Tan important to American literature?

Tan helped broaden the American literary conversation around Chinese American identity, immigration, family memory, and intergenerational relationships. Her work has reached a wide audience through international bestsellers, translations, classroom reading, and film adaptation.

Sources: neh.gov (opens in a new tab)arts.gov (opens in a new tab)