Common Sense Media Review
By Michelle Hong
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Sweeping story of bicultural mother-daughter friction.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
Four Chinese immigrant women form a mahjong club in the late 1940s in San Francisco, dubbing themselves THE JOY LUCK CLUB. Over the course of 40 years, their stories unfold as they raise their daughters in a country quite different from their own. Mothers and daughters learn to navigate relationships as they imperfectly translate one another and the opposing cultures. Seeking to find their identities as women, mothers, daughters, and wives, they find joy in the lives they create.
Is It Any Good?
Amy Tan's novel skillfully explores the often tense relationships between mothers and daughters. The Joy Luck Club doesn't perfectly solve all of the problems presented within its pages, but it brings hope to the characters as they work to resolve and learn from their relationships.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how Chinese history (circa 1920s to 1940s) affected the lives of the Chinese mothers and how they raised their American-born daughters as told in The Joy Luck Club. How did your parents' experiences influence the way they raised you?
Reconciling two different cultures can be challenging for the children of immigrants. Do you have any personal experience with this issue? How might you find harmony between the culture of your family heritage and the culture of the place you're living in?
Mother-daughter relationships can be fraught with tension and strong bonds. Do any of the conflicts in the book sound familiar to you?
The Joy Luck Club is often required reading in high school. Why do you think it's a significant work of Asian American literature?
How do the characters demonstrate compassion, empathy, and perseverance? Why are these important character strengths?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Contemporary Fiction
- Topics : History
- Character Strengths : Compassion , Empathy , Perseverance
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Putnam Adult
- Publication date : March 22, 1989
- Last updated : October 1, 2025
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