Amy Tan's Reading List

"Richard Ford’s “Canada.” I’ve loved all his books, from the characters to the parenthetical sentences. His voice always sounds so casual, as if the narrator is working it out in his head for the first time."

"“Jing Ping Mei” (“The Plum in the Golden Vase”). The author is anonymous. I would describe it as a book of manners for the debauched."

"He gave me an advance reading copy of “On Writing.” A couple of years before, we had talked about the question no one asks us in interviews: language. He had been thinking of doing a book on writing, and I had said, “Do it.”"

"Books were luxuries. We had the World Book Encyclopedia, donated Reader’s Digest Condensed Books, inspirational books by Billy Graham, Bibles in foreign languages and my favorite, a book on a high shelf called “Psychopathia Sexualis.”"

"I crossed a threshold of reader pride after finishing “To Kill a Mockingbird.”"

"And I made it a point to read banned books, like “The Catcher in the Rye,” which led to counseling sessions with a youth minister, who told me such books would give me sinful feelings. That incident solidified feelings I have about the power of books and one’s helplessness without them."

"Jane Eyre remains a favorite. Her truthfulness sometimes made me laugh. And her loneliness and need to make her own way mirrored my feelings."

"The Little Prince is another lost soul I clung to."

"And then I read Louise Erdrich’s “Love Medicine,” with its strong multiple voices. The stories were bound by community and mutual loss. That later became a model for the structure of “The Joy Luck Club.”"

"Coetzee’s “Disgrace” made me feel the latter [I should give up writing]."

"The other is more hopeful: “My Beloved World,” by Sonia Sotomayor. I’m grateful for her wisdom and compassion on the Supreme Court."