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Amy Tan was born into a family that believed in fate. In The Opposite of Fate: A Book of Musings, she explores this legacy, as well as American circumstances, and finds ways to honor the past while creating her own brand of destiny. She discovers answers in everyday actions and attitudes - from writing stories and decorating her house with charms, to dealing with three members of her family afflicted with brain disease and shaking off both family curses and the expectations that she should become a doctor and a concert pianist. novels, Amy Tan presents a refreshing antidote to the world-weariness and uncertainties we face today, contemplating how things happen - in her own life and beyond - but always returning to the question of fate and its opposites: the choices, charms, influences, attitudes, and lucky accidents that shape us all.
How does an individual reconcile the weight of inherited cultural fatalism with the necessity of personal agency in a modern American context? Amy Tan, a celebrated novelist, draws upon her own life experiences to examine the tension between the deterministic beliefs of her upbringing and the unpredictable nature of her professional and personal development. Through a collection of musings, she analyzes how family history, illness, and the creative process inform her understanding of destiny versus choice.
What You Will Find
The text offers a reflective and accessible look into the author's internal landscape, providing readers with a clearer understanding of the thematic foundations of her fiction. It serves as a bridge between Tan's public persona and the private experiences that inform her creative output.
Page Count:
398
Publication Date:
2003-10-07
Publisher:
Harper Perennial
ISBN-10:
0007170408
ISBN-13:
9780007170401