Writer Amy Tan was born on February 19, 1952 in Oakland, California. She received a master's degree in linguistics from San Jose State University. She worked as a freelance business writer, but eventually turned to fiction. Her first book, The Joy Luck Club, was nominated for the National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award and was a recipient of the Commonwealth Gold Award. The Joy Luck Club was also adapted into a feature film in 1994. Tan's titles have been translated into more than 20 languages. Her other novels include: The Kitchen God's Wife, The Bonesetter's Daughter, and The Valley of Amazement.