Jessamine Chan is an American novelist and the author of The School for Good Mothers.
Jessamine Chan | |
|---|---|
| Education | Brown University (BA) Columbia University (MFA) |
| Spouse | Adam Diller |
Personal life and education
editChan is a first-generation Chinese-American. She grew up in Oak Park, a suburb of Chicago, as the daughter of Chinese professors who met in the US.[1] Her mother is from Taiwan, and her father is from mainland China.[2] She received her bachelor's degree from Brown University, followed by a Master of Fine Arts degree from Columbia University.[1]
She currently lives in Chicago with her husband and daughter.[3]
Career
editAfter graduating from Brown, Chan moved to New York City to work as an editor of nonfiction reviews for Publishers Weekly.[2] Later, she moved to Chicago and worked as editor of a research digest for University of Chicago’s graduate business school before beginning her MFA at Columbia.[citation needed]
The School for Good Mothers
editChan's debut novel, The School for Good Mothers, was published in 2022 by Simon & Schuster. The dystopian novel was inspired by a nonfiction New Yorker article in which a mother lost parental rights.[4] She started writing the book in 2014.[1] It was the Today Show's "Read with Jenna" book club pick when the book came out.[2] The book was a finalist for the 2023 John Leonard Prize, awarded by the National Book Critics Circle for a first book in any genre.[5]
In 2022, Jessica Chastain's production company Freckle Films bought the TV rights to the book, with plans for Jude Weng to direct the TV adaptation.[6] Chan will serve as an executive producer for the show.[3]
Chan spent three years living in South Philadelphia with her husband and daughter, providing material for her debut novel.[4]
Published works
edit- —— (2022). The School for Good Mothers. New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 9781982156121.
References
edit- ^ a b c Ermelino, Louisa (2021-08-02). "Jessamine Chan's Chilling Debut Novel". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 2022-04-14.
- ^ a b c Borrelli, Christopher (2022-01-14). "Oak Park's Jessamine Chan invented 'The School for Good Mothers' – a little too disturbingly close to true". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2022-04-14.
- ^ a b Eng, Viviane (2022-01-27). "The PEN Ten: An Interview with Jessamine Chan". PEN America. Retrieved 2022-04-14.
- ^ a b Rosenberg, Amy S. (2022-01-02). "Jessamine Chan lived in Philly long enough to set her dystopian novel about mothers here". Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 2022-04-14.
- ^ Varno, David (2023-02-01). "NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE ANNOUNCES FINALISTS FOR PUBLISHING YEAR 2022". National Book Critics Circle. Retrieved 2023-02-03.
- ^ White, Peter (2022-01-03). "Jessica Chastain's Freckle Films To Adapt Jessamine Chan's 'The School For Good Mothers' As Series With Jude Weng & Endeavor Content". Deadline. Retrieved 2022-04-14.