Who’s the Author
The author of Saving Fish From Drowning is Amy Tan. She was born in 1952. She was the daughter of first generation immigrants in America. Her family was a part of the Joy Luck Club, a group of families who played the stock market together. This eventually became the title for her first novel, published when she was 37, The Joy Luck Club. This was a collection of stories Tan had been writing for four years.
Tan’s first interaction with books began when she was only a child. She loved to read and would use it as an escape from her ordinary life. Her life became a little unordinary when her father and old brother died six months apart from brain tumors, her mother thought to be a curse. Her remaining family ran to Switzerland to avoid this tragic death. Tan began to hang out with the wrong people and was arrested at the age of sixteen, luckily she got off with a warning.
She then came back to America to go to college. Tan went to many different schools where she studied English and linguistics. After her roommate was murdered, she quit her doctorate program and became a Language Development Specialist. She helped children with disabilities and language barriers to become mainstream students. Then Tan took a brief time in the business field writing for technology companies.
Finally, she began writing literature. Tan’s works included: The Lucky Joy Club, The Kitchen God’s Wife, The Hundred Secret Senses, The Bonesetter’s Daughter, Saving Fish from Drowning, The Opposite of Fate, and two children’s books: The Moon Lady and Sagwa, and The Chinese Siamese Cat. She has also written many articles for various magazines, both as a full and part-time job. Her first book was adapted into a movie which Tan co-produced, and was the co-screenwriter. Tan also was a creative consultant for the children’s television series Sawga. Her short story The Immortal Heart has been turned into a play in many countries including the United States of America, and France. She is also the author of many articles, and story selections in high school and university textbooks.
Tan is also a talented musician. She was classically trained on the piano for 15 years. She used this skill when she wrote The Bonesetter’s Daughter, an opera. She wrote the music for the show. The show premiered in September 2008 and was sold-out. Tan was also the lead rhythm dominatrix, backup singer, and second tambourine for the band, the Rock Bottom Remainders. The band was not the greatest but they raised two million dollars for literacy programs. The great members were Kathi Kamen Goldmark, Stephen King, Dave Barry, Matt Groening, Greg Iles, Mitch Albom, Roy Blount Jr, Ridley Pearson, Sam Barry and Scott Turow.
Tan was diagnosed with Lyme disease in 2003, despite having had it for four years. Now, she is on medicine and is in good health. Her family still includes; her brother, John, half-sisters, Lijun Wang and Tina “Jindo” Eng, her husband, Lou DeMattei, and her fourth Yorkie, Tux.
