Amy Tan is an American writer, born in California (USA) to immigrant Chinese parents. In her novels she explores mother-daugther relationships and the experience of being a Chinese American.
Exercise
Tap all the highlighted words in the article below ⇩ to see their definitions.Amy Tan began writing late but with great success. The Joy Luck Club, her first book, was published in 1989 when she was 37 years old. It was an immediate success and has been translated into many languages, including Chinese. The book was also adapted into a play in 1993, and director Wayne Want turned into a film that same year.
The Joy Luck Club tells the story of four Chinese American families. It is written as a series of interconnected vignettes that relate the lives of four Chinese mothers and their American-born daughters. The structure of the book is based on form of the Chinese game mahjong: the four matriarchs who are lifelong friends in the Joy Luck Club plus their daughters, and each individual story is told through four chapters.
The Joy Luck Club is a portrait of four fictional families set against the backdrop of China and America. However, the discoveries of family history and legacy and individual identity, of clashes and reconciliation, are universal issues that are important to everyone regardless of their place of origin. This is one of the reasons behind the huge appeal of The Joy Luck Club.
Now, watch the video and complete the exercise.
This TED-Ed video explores why this book still captivates readers around the world.
Exercise
Fill in the blanks with the vocabulary from the video. ⇩
It was hard for me to understand the video
Hi Ángeles, it’s better to challenge yourself. 🙂
Me too. It’s so hard.
Sometimes it can be challenging.
I understood the video, but only because my English teacher made a lesson about it. We saw some scenes of the movie, and after that I saw all but not in English. I think that I’ll read the book.
Hi Benedetta, thank you very much for sharing your experience with us. 🙂
Hi guys,I agree you,this video was hard to understand. But at the end I made it!
Well done, Edgar! 🙂
Please what’s points for the microlesson ? I don’t understand how
Can. I get it !? I can’t get in touch with any of the app team to understand .. thank you♥️
Hi Alya, you earn points for each microlesson you complete. 🙂