Amy Tan Ponders the 'Opposite of Fate'

By Liane Hansen

Published November 9, 2003 at 12:00 AM EST

The life of writer Amy Tan has provided her with enough dramatic, seemingly fateful moments to fuel several works of fiction. Tan, known for her best-selling novel The Joy Luck Club, has published her first non-fiction book, The Opposite of Fate: A Book of Musings, about her own life and family. Tan spoke with NPR's Liane Hansen.

Liane Hansen

Liane Hansen has been the host of NPR's award-winning Weekend Edition Sunday for 20 years. She brings to her position an extensive background in broadcast journalism, including work as a radio producer, reporter, and on-air host at both the local and national level. The program has covered such breaking news stories as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the capture of Saddam Hussein, the deaths of Princess Diana and John F. Kennedy, Jr., and the Columbia shuttle tragedy. In 2004, Liane was granted an exclusive interview with former weapons inspector David Kay prior to his report on the search for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. The show also won the James Beard award for best radio program on food for a report on SPAM.