Even if I had expected it, even if I had known what I was going to do with my life, it would have knocked the wind out of me. When something that violent hits you, you can't help but lose your balance and fall. And after you pick yourself up, you realize you can't trust anybody to save you- not your husband, not your mother, not God. So what can you do to stop yourself from tilting and falling all over again?
Amy TanI have survivor skills. Some of that is superficial - what I present to people outwardly - but what makes people resilient is the ability to find humour and irony in situations that would otherwise overpower you.
Amy TanThe forbidden things were a great influence on my life. I was forbidden from reading A Catcher in the Rye.
Amy TanAnd below the heimongmong, all along the ground, were weeds already spilling out over the edges, running wild in every direction.
Amy Tan