We all have moments from childhood that were turning points -- people and events that molded our perceptions of ourselves and our lives. In Girls Like Us, 40 accomplished, influential women share these inspiring moments from their own childhoods and teenage years. Novelist Amy Tan explores the life of a young girl and her relationship to her mother in The Joy Luck Club; Faye Wattleton describes how a checkered and difficult childhood shaped her into the determined leader she is today; In Paula, Isabel Allende tells of her parents' priceless gift in encouraging her to express her creativity. The book also includes photographs of some of the contributors at the age they appear in their stories, as well as brief biographies of each.