A few years ago my daughter, the teacher/librarian at Clinton Prairie High School near Frankfort, asked me to join her at Purdue for a lecture by Amy Tan. Was I excited? You bet I was! I had never seen an author before, in person, and I had taught several of her stories in my high school classes. WOW! In preparation I visited the Waldens bookstore at the Logansport Mall and purchased her latest novel so she could sign it for me. I could hardly wait.
Megan and I found a set close to the front of the Elliott Hall of Music, which is a HUGE auditorium. It was by no means full to capacity, but there were several others in attendance, mainly female guests. Some were coeds who whipped out notebooks so we surmised that their attendance was part of a class assignment. Others were part of a literary group, or various book clubs, entered as a group, and sat as a group. You know what I mean.
When Ms. Tan walked onto the stage, I was amazed. She appeared to be shorter than I expected, she was carrying a large tote bag which she placed on the floor next to the podium, and she was wearing a caftan type garment over pants, high heeled shoes, and various necklaces and bracelets.
As she spoke, she leaned against one side of the podium, very casual in her demeanor and in her speech. She gave the impression that we were all friends and she had just stopped by to chat.
She talked about her life, her mother, her education, her heritage. She shared a story of the first time she saw her book title and her name on one of those black and yellow pamphlet type books---you know what I mean (Cliffs Notes) in a bookstore prior to a speaking engagement. After pinching herself to be sure she was still alive ("for only the dead authors are the ones whose works are condensed by Mr. Cliff"), she tucked a copy in her purse to read later in her hotel room. She discovered many interpretations of her book that she didn't know existed! And she learned some things about herself and the reasons she wrote the book also (that she hadn't know previously!).
The evening ended too soon. Megan and I were hanging on every word. The 90 minutes or so that she shared her experiences flew by. At the end she reached down to her tote bag and pulled out.....a little dog! He had been in the bag during her entire presentation, not a sound (at least none that we could hear). We found out later that he always accompanies her to her speaking engagements, snuggles into the tote, and then makes an appearance at the end.
Amy Tan has always been a favorite author, and I enjoy her more now that I have listened to her in person. Reading The Joy Luck Club in the lit class was a natural choice. Hopefully the ladies will enjoy it, and Kevin can at least make his way through without giving up! It IS a book more for female than male readers. Sorry, Kevin!
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