Chan 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
After 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
Chan'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]
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