"Amy Tan: An Unintended Memoir," on PBS

I still remember the wonderful shock of reading Amy Tan’s novel “The Joy Luck Club” when it was first published in 1989. There had been a few, but very few, novels by Chinese American authors published before this, the most notable of which was (in my opinion) Maxine Hong Kingston’s 1976 book “The Woman Warrior.” These two books together were true breakthroughs, not only for Chinese American writers, but for opening up possibilities for writers of other minority ethnicities. They were particularly meaningful as pioneer Chinese American women writers. It is perhaps hard for younger readers of today to realize how very white and male U.S. literature was before the 1970s and 1980s; see any college literature curriculum of the time, for example. “The Joy Luck Club” became a huge bestseller, and was made into a movie, and Tan’s later books were also very successful. Today I am writing about Tan and her novels because a couple of weeks ago, on May 3, I watched PBS’ program “Amy Tan: An Unintended Memoir,” about Tan, her family (especially her mother), her writing, her supportive husband, her being part of a writers’ rock band, her love of drawing birds, and how she learned to take risks, along with many other topics. Tan has struggled with the early loss of her father and brother to fatal brain tumors; with her own health issues, including a terrible case of Lyme Disease; with periodic writers’ block; and with criticism from those who quibble with her portrayals of Chinese Americans. There are interviews on this program with Tan herself and those who know her, including clips of her with her late mother. Also other authors, notably Kevin Kwan, speak with emotion of how Tan’s work was such a breakthrough, and paved the way for other Chinese-American writers. This program was so insightful, so interesting, and so beautifully produced that I was glued to the screen the whole hour and 40 minutes. It is a lovely tribute to this great writer (who lives in the San Francisco Bay Area, so we take extra pride in her and her work).

Terry Gross on "This is Us"

This post is only tangentially related to books and reading, but you will see the connection. A few days ago, I was watching the excellent television show “This is Us.” One lead character, Kevin, is an actor, and after many ups and downs in his career, he stars in a hugely successful film. He is discussing his sudden fame with his family, and casually mentions that his publicist has scheduled an interview for him with some guy named Terry Gross. Another character gasps and fills Kevin in on who Terry Gross is: the famed interviewer on the famed NPR radio show, “Fresh Air.” And Terry is a woman, not a man. The next scene shows that interview, with the real Terry Gross. The heart of this blogger, a big fan of Fresh Air (see my posts of 3/2/10 and 2/18/16), pitter-pattered a bit to SEE on the screen the actual Terry Gross, after years of hearing her on the radio, and seeing only a photo or two during those years. Gross often interviews authors, among the other types of guests she has on the show; I like pretty much all her interviews, but of course author interviews are my favorites. So here she was on “This is Us,” with her so-familiar voice but her much less familiar physical appearance, looking more or less as I expected, but somehow still a surprise. Her interview of Kevin on the show was as insightful as always, as she drew him out in a thoughtful, uncannily right-on, but never too intrusive way. What a treat that episode of “This is Us” was, and all the more so for the unexpectedness of one of my heroines,Terry Gross, popping up in the middle of it!