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American Voices: Best Short Fiction by Contemporary Authors
A collection of American short stories ranging in theme from loss of innocence to loss of love includes the work of Amy Tan, Raymond Carver, John Sayles, Sandra Cisneros, and many more. Lit Guild.
- GenresFiction
384 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 1992
35 people want to read
About the author
Amy Tan
101 books11.2k followersAmy Tan (Chinese: 譚恩美; pinyin: Tán Ēnměi; born February 19, 1952) is an American writer whose novels include The Joy Luck Club, The Kitchen God’s Wife, The Hundred Secret Senses, The Bonesetter’s Daughter, Saving Fish From Drowing, and The Valley of Amazement. She is the author of two memoirs, The Opposite of Fate and Where the Past Begins. Her two children’s books are The Chinese Siamese Cat and The Moon Lady. She is also the co-screenwriter of the film adaptation of The Joy Luck, the librettist of the opera The Bonesetter’s Daughter, and the creative consultant to the PBS animated series Sagwa the Chinese Chinese Cat.
Tan is an instructor with MasterClass on writing, memory and imagination. She is featured in the American Masters documentary Amy Tan: Unintended Memoir. She was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters and recently received the National Humanities Medal. She serves on the board of American Bird Conservancy.
Her forthcoming book The Backyard Bird Chronicles began as a journal in 2016, when she turned to nature for calm. She also began taking drawing classes with John Muir Laws (The Laws Guide to Nature Journaling and Drawing, and The Laws Guide to Drawing Birds). During the pandemic shutdown, she drew birds only in her backyard, documenting behaviors she found puzzling. Over time she identified 64 species of birds that have visited her backyard in Marin County. By 2022, she had more than nine journals of sketches and notes, which her editor at Knopf suggested she publish. The book, which will be released in April 2024, has already received high praise:
“Much of great writing comes from great interest, and in The Backyard Bird Chronicles, Amy Tan shows us how the world fascinates her, especially the birds. The result is both unexpected and spectacular.”
—Ann Patchett, author of These Precious Days
“What an enchanting and illuminating book! How lucky for us that Amy Tan has turned her genius, her deep empathy and insight, her keen eye for what is telling, to birds. Every page of these chronicles radiates warm curiosity, wonder, and delight.”
—Jennifer Ackerman, The Genius of Birds
“This is one of the most infectious and convincing books about nature I’ve read. For the bird-watcher, the would-be bird-watcher, or for the bird-watching skeptic, this offers great delight and unexpected intrigue. Through Tan’s ecstatic eyes, what could be a dry treatise on ornithological happenings becomes something far more fun and much more profound. It’s really a book about seeing.”
—Dave Eggers, author of Ungrateful Mammals
“Anybody even mildly interested in birds, or thinking about getting interested in birds (which are, after all, the indicator genus for the health of the planet), will want this book perched on their shelf, if only for the gift of Amy Tan’s eye and the example she gives us of how to pay attention. What a treasure.”
—Robert Hass, Pulitzer Prize-Winning author of Summer Snow: New Poems
“Backyard Bird Chronicles is fun reading. It shows how we can become engaged emotionally, literally and artistically with the natural world—to joyfully learn about the most accessible and yet wild animals, the often rare and beautiful birds that choose to come and live near and sometimes with us.”
—Bernd Heinrich, author of Mind of the Raven
“With this book as your guide, embark into the bird world Amy Tan. This is an intimate view, a sort-of love affair with the birds and their behavior, that Amy has come to know over several years. Within the leafy universe of her own backyard, she has quietly beheld, patiently observed, and taken in-depth notations of an extensive array of bird species. In colorful detail, she describes various bird’s behavior, while capturing their beauty in exquisitely rendered illustrations. Species include fearsome predators and watchful prey, long distance migrants and hometown residents. Through her unique insight and gift as an author and
Tan is an instructor with MasterClass on writing, memory and imagination. She is featured in the American Masters documentary Amy Tan: Unintended Memoir. She was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters and recently received the National Humanities Medal. She serves on the board of American Bird Conservancy.
Her forthcoming book The Backyard Bird Chronicles began as a journal in 2016, when she turned to nature for calm. She also began taking drawing classes with John Muir Laws (The Laws Guide to Nature Journaling and Drawing, and The Laws Guide to Drawing Birds). During the pandemic shutdown, she drew birds only in her backyard, documenting behaviors she found puzzling. Over time she identified 64 species of birds that have visited her backyard in Marin County. By 2022, she had more than nine journals of sketches and notes, which her editor at Knopf suggested she publish. The book, which will be released in April 2024, has already received high praise:
“Much of great writing comes from great interest, and in The Backyard Bird Chronicles, Amy Tan shows us how the world fascinates her, especially the birds. The result is both unexpected and spectacular.”
—Ann Patchett, author of These Precious Days
“What an enchanting and illuminating book! How lucky for us that Amy Tan has turned her genius, her deep empathy and insight, her keen eye for what is telling, to birds. Every page of these chronicles radiates warm curiosity, wonder, and delight.”
—Jennifer Ackerman, The Genius of Birds
“This is one of the most infectious and convincing books about nature I’ve read. For the bird-watcher, the would-be bird-watcher, or for the bird-watching skeptic, this offers great delight and unexpected intrigue. Through Tan’s ecstatic eyes, what could be a dry treatise on ornithological happenings becomes something far more fun and much more profound. It’s really a book about seeing.”
—Dave Eggers, author of Ungrateful Mammals
“Anybody even mildly interested in birds, or thinking about getting interested in birds (which are, after all, the indicator genus for the health of the planet), will want this book perched on their shelf, if only for the gift of Amy Tan’s eye and the example she gives us of how to pay attention. What a treasure.”
—Robert Hass, Pulitzer Prize-Winning author of Summer Snow: New Poems
“Backyard Bird Chronicles is fun reading. It shows how we can become engaged emotionally, literally and artistically with the natural world—to joyfully learn about the most accessible and yet wild animals, the often rare and beautiful birds that choose to come and live near and sometimes with us.”
—Bernd Heinrich, author of Mind of the Raven
“With this book as your guide, embark into the bird world Amy Tan. This is an intimate view, a sort-of love affair with the birds and their behavior, that Amy has come to know over several years. Within the leafy universe of her own backyard, she has quietly beheld, patiently observed, and taken in-depth notations of an extensive array of bird species. In colorful detail, she describes various bird’s behavior, while capturing their beauty in exquisitely rendered illustrations. Species include fearsome predators and watchful prey, long distance migrants and hometown residents. Through her unique insight and gift as an author and
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
February 25, 2025
Review for jeremy, because he got me this book. Thank you, brother. This took me so long to get through. 20 short stories is a lot for one collection. While none of the stories were bad, some were slightly boring. In all, k could appreciate the skilled writing and distinctive voices. Also, to note: this book is not by Amy Tan; she just had one of the short stories. It was compiled by Sally Arteseros.
1. Roses, Rhododendron by Alice Adams: 5/5. A wonderful snapshot of girlhood. So descriptive and beautifully written. I loved the setting, the characters, the small ironies.
2. Separating by John Updike: 4/5. Much more character driven, but we don’t learn much about the characters. The only plot is a couple telling their children of their separation.
3. 116th Street Jenny by Judith Rossner: 3/5. At times, the narrator was frustrating, and I was confused about the undertones between characters. But as the short story progressed, I appreciated Caroline’s contrariness more. The conflicts were stressful but well-written.
4. The Rich Brother by Tobias Wolff: 4/5. Loved the backstory, and also the characterization of the brothers. Another story in which not much happens, and the ending is a given, but the strength lies in the man v man conflict.
5. The Swimmers by Joyce Carol Oates: 3/5. Built up such an air of mystery around this woman, but with something of an unsatisfying ending. My favorite part was Joan Lunt’s reaction after Clyde fights the ex-husband.
6. Midair by Frank Conroy: 4/5. This was a hard one. What a fascinating childhood vignette and what an unlikeable adult protagonist.
7. Edie: A Life by Harriet Doer: 4/5. A short story that spans an impressive amount of time. I loved the magical imaginations of the children, and the realistic disappointment of real life.
8. Fenstad’s Mother by Charles Baxter: 4/5. An interesting character and relationship study between the progressive Clara Fenstad and her son. I liked the pace.
9. Rules of the Game by Amy Tan: 3/5. I might have had to read this in school, and it makes me wonder if I can ever go back and find the other short stories that were required reading. This one didn’t stand out to me, however.
10. The Halfway Diner by John Sayles: 5/5. So much can happen on one bus ride. Love these ladies, love the little snippets of backstory. The short story had a whole climax, intrigue, and generally encapsulated the precariousness of the current moment very well.
11. Another Marvelous Thing by Laurie Collin: 4/5. The author said this was semi-autobiographical, and it made me want to write short stories about my own life. I liked the casually funny conversations between the couple. Didn’t love the affair mentioned.
12. Lily by Jane Smiley: 3/5. It is interesting to see the couple as a unit and also individuals in their relationship(s) with Lily. Lots of subtle tension and interpersonal conflict.
13. One Holy Night by Sandra Cisneros: 4/5. This was another hard one to read. Tragic and too real. I feel as though I am too far removed from girlhood to remember crushing on grown men twenty years my senior, and I could never relate to actually doing anything with them. But most teen pregnancies are in realty fathered by grown men.
14. Nothing to Ask For by Dennis McFarland: 5/5. Simple and heartbreaking. Reminds me of a poem I read once from a father to his deceased son’s lover.
15. Able, Baker, Charlie, Dog by Stephanie Vaughn: 4/5. I liked the snapshot of the narrator’s father. The events of her childhood, mentioned with casual detachment but clearly impactful on the present day, are well-written and I felt the conflicted emotions. The buildup to the father taking a walk to the falls, to the grandmother remembering him as a good man after his death show a complicated man.
16. The Church of No Reason by Andrea Barrett: 4/5. Fascinating characters. How do kids get to be so wild? The poor mother, lost in her unhelpful church.
17. A Small, Good Thing by Raymond Carver: 4/5. I could feel the family’s panic and anxiety as they dealt with the unimaginable. The stress of the baker calling, not realizing it was him, him not knowing the situation but still being able to comfort them in the end was poetic.
18. New African by Andrea Lee: 4/5. Loved the depiction of the church from a PK’s perspective, and the narrator’s struggle with the idea of getting baptized, especially the end, when they stop pressing her, which ultimately gains them her respect. I get it.
19. Shiloh by Bobby Ann Mason: 3/5. Another couple going through conflict. These kinds of stories depress me and make me wonder if my relationships will break down slowly over time like this. I can’t imagine that, but neither did these fictional characters, I assume.
20. In a Father’s Place by Christopher Tilghman: 3/5. Justice for the women. Another unlikeable narrator. This one shows a single father pushing away his adult children.
I loved the author’s notes and intros to the short stories; I feel like they added so much context. I especially liked the ones discussed the idea of an author’s voice and what it means to them personally. I do wish the publication year was included with each story.
1. Roses, Rhododendron by Alice Adams: 5/5. A wonderful snapshot of girlhood. So descriptive and beautifully written. I loved the setting, the characters, the small ironies.
2. Separating by John Updike: 4/5. Much more character driven, but we don’t learn much about the characters. The only plot is a couple telling their children of their separation.
3. 116th Street Jenny by Judith Rossner: 3/5. At times, the narrator was frustrating, and I was confused about the undertones between characters. But as the short story progressed, I appreciated Caroline’s contrariness more. The conflicts were stressful but well-written.
4. The Rich Brother by Tobias Wolff: 4/5. Loved the backstory, and also the characterization of the brothers. Another story in which not much happens, and the ending is a given, but the strength lies in the man v man conflict.
5. The Swimmers by Joyce Carol Oates: 3/5. Built up such an air of mystery around this woman, but with something of an unsatisfying ending. My favorite part was Joan Lunt’s reaction after Clyde fights the ex-husband.
6. Midair by Frank Conroy: 4/5. This was a hard one. What a fascinating childhood vignette and what an unlikeable adult protagonist.
7. Edie: A Life by Harriet Doer: 4/5. A short story that spans an impressive amount of time. I loved the magical imaginations of the children, and the realistic disappointment of real life.
8. Fenstad’s Mother by Charles Baxter: 4/5. An interesting character and relationship study between the progressive Clara Fenstad and her son. I liked the pace.
9. Rules of the Game by Amy Tan: 3/5. I might have had to read this in school, and it makes me wonder if I can ever go back and find the other short stories that were required reading. This one didn’t stand out to me, however.
10. The Halfway Diner by John Sayles: 5/5. So much can happen on one bus ride. Love these ladies, love the little snippets of backstory. The short story had a whole climax, intrigue, and generally encapsulated the precariousness of the current moment very well.
11. Another Marvelous Thing by Laurie Collin: 4/5. The author said this was semi-autobiographical, and it made me want to write short stories about my own life. I liked the casually funny conversations between the couple. Didn’t love the affair mentioned.
12. Lily by Jane Smiley: 3/5. It is interesting to see the couple as a unit and also individuals in their relationship(s) with Lily. Lots of subtle tension and interpersonal conflict.
13. One Holy Night by Sandra Cisneros: 4/5. This was another hard one to read. Tragic and too real. I feel as though I am too far removed from girlhood to remember crushing on grown men twenty years my senior, and I could never relate to actually doing anything with them. But most teen pregnancies are in realty fathered by grown men.
14. Nothing to Ask For by Dennis McFarland: 5/5. Simple and heartbreaking. Reminds me of a poem I read once from a father to his deceased son’s lover.
15. Able, Baker, Charlie, Dog by Stephanie Vaughn: 4/5. I liked the snapshot of the narrator’s father. The events of her childhood, mentioned with casual detachment but clearly impactful on the present day, are well-written and I felt the conflicted emotions. The buildup to the father taking a walk to the falls, to the grandmother remembering him as a good man after his death show a complicated man.
16. The Church of No Reason by Andrea Barrett: 4/5. Fascinating characters. How do kids get to be so wild? The poor mother, lost in her unhelpful church.
17. A Small, Good Thing by Raymond Carver: 4/5. I could feel the family’s panic and anxiety as they dealt with the unimaginable. The stress of the baker calling, not realizing it was him, him not knowing the situation but still being able to comfort them in the end was poetic.
18. New African by Andrea Lee: 4/5. Loved the depiction of the church from a PK’s perspective, and the narrator’s struggle with the idea of getting baptized, especially the end, when they stop pressing her, which ultimately gains them her respect. I get it.
19. Shiloh by Bobby Ann Mason: 3/5. Another couple going through conflict. These kinds of stories depress me and make me wonder if my relationships will break down slowly over time like this. I can’t imagine that, but neither did these fictional characters, I assume.
20. In a Father’s Place by Christopher Tilghman: 3/5. Justice for the women. Another unlikeable narrator. This one shows a single father pushing away his adult children.
I loved the author’s notes and intros to the short stories; I feel like they added so much context. I especially liked the ones discussed the idea of an author’s voice and what it means to them personally. I do wish the publication year was included with each story.
February 18, 2021
Didn’t quite finish; was at the vacation home we rented. Meh - a few of the early stories were good, the others less so. NY seemed to have an outsized presence for a tome of American literature.
April 13, 2010
I read this collection over 10 years ago and had forgotten the title but always remembered how much I liked it. I stumbled upon this again by chance and was so happy to have rediscovered it. I still remember the stories by Raymond Carver ("A Small Good Thing", one of his best), Stephanie Vaughn, Bobbie Ann Mason, Judith Rossner (telling a completely different-and better-story from Mr. Goodbar) and Andrea Barrett.
February 7, 2011
some great stories some terrible ones Alice Adams,Judith Rossner,great John Updike Tobias Wolff,Joyce Carol Oates,Frank Conroy not very good its amazing the best writers in the country have their worst stories here
of course Jane Smiley and John Sayles stories are well done should have been subtitled hit or miss
of course Jane Smiley and John Sayles stories are well done should have been subtitled hit or miss
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April 23, 2009stories
October 12, 2016
It was on the nightstand to read when I'm waiting for the next nonfiction book I ordered from Amazon to arrive...
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews