Recently on PBS’s Finding Your Roots, famous author Amy Tan, known for her profoundly personal novels like The Joy Luck Club, revealed an interesting piece of her family ancestry. Henry Louis Gates Jr. hosted the episode, which aired on January 21, and looked over Amy Tan’s lineage going back over 800 years.
Gates revealed she could follow Amy Tan&’s genealogy via records to her 22nd great-grandfather, the architect of the family tree in the 19th century, in an exclusive preview shared with TODAY.com. Author of many years. Tan said, “It reveals how much we are tied to our past. “That’s why I want to write about family.”
Tan recalled his late father’s idea, which focused on integrating his family into American society, for this new education. “He would be proud,” he said, adding that it inspired them to embrace their American and Chinese heritage with enthusiasm and pride.
The author has long explored the Chinese American experience, often drawing inspiration from his own life and family. In his 2017 memoir, Where The Past Begins: A Writer’s Memoir, Amy Tan acknowledged the semi-autobiographical nature of his books. “Everybody’s book is semi-autobiographical,” he said. “The people who influence your life and make you who you are are the people you include in your story.”
With a deeper understanding of roots, Amy Tan points to the nature of a new ancestral story. Gates was excited by the prospect and said, “Well, we researched for you.”
Tan’s Finding Your Roots episode reminds us of the lasting impact of family history on identity and creativity.
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