Novelist Amy Tan talks about her family, her writing, and the conundrum of China:

“‘The Bonesetter’s Daughter,’ not unlike your other novels, tells the story of an anxious American woman and her overbearing Chinese mother. How much of it is autobiographical?”

“I had a wonderful mother. And she was supportive of everything I did. From the beginning, she said I could become a homeless person.”

“Very funny.”

“I had a very demanding mother. I thought I disappointed her in every single way. She wanted me to be a concert pianist, and that would be on weekends. My day job would be brain surgeon. It’s kind of ironic that my mother wanted me to be a brain surgeon, because our family had so many neurological diseases.”