Amy Chua - Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother

http://www.bloomsbury.com/Amy-Chua-Battle-Hymn-of-the-Tiger-Mother

A lot of people wonder how Chinese parents raise such stereotypically successful kids. They wonder what Chinese parents do to produce so many math whizzes and music prodigies, what it's like inside the family, and whether they could do it too. Well, I can tell them, because I've done it...Amy Chua's daughters, Sophia and Louisa (Lulu) were polite, interesting and helpful, they were two years ahead of their classmates in maths and had exceptional musical abilities. But Sophia and Lulu were never allowed to attend a sleepover, be in a school play, choose their own extracurricular activities, get any grade less than an A, and not be the #1 student in every subject (except gym and drama). And they had to practice their instruments for hours every day, as well as in school breaks and on family holidays. The Chinese-parenting model certainly seemed to produce results. But what happens when you do not tolerate disobedience and are confronted by a screaming child who would sooner freeze outside in the cold than be forced to play the piano? In Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, Amy Chua relates her experiences raising her children the 'Chinese way', and how dutiful, patient Sophia flourished under the regime and how tenacious, hot-tempered Lulu rebelled. It is a story about a mother, two daughters, and two dogs. It's also about Mozart and Mendelssohn, the piano and the violin, and how they made it to Carnegie Hall. It was supposed to be a story of how Chinese parents are better at raising kids than Western ones. But instead, it's about a bitter clash of cultures, a fleeting taste of glory, and how you can be humbled by a thirteen-year-old. Witty, entertaining and provocative, this is a unique and important book that will transform your perspective of parenting forever.

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• parenting
• parent
• chinese
• children
• child
• book
• books
• advice

[crazyaboutnaruto1596]

Being an ABC (American Born Chinese) with a hyperstrict mother, I read this book in Borders out of curiosity. I found it so putrid that I stuffed it back into a random section out of shame that I would be seen with it. When I looked back, I found that I had put it suitably in the True Crime section.

[guitarhamster102]

Even though I'm Han Chinese, I don't see why some asian parents (and in effect, their kids) care about college prestige so much. Harvard too expensive. I'm attending my state university and doing Army Reserve. And I'm happy. Why do some asian parents WANT their kids to earn 200k out of college so bad? lol.

[Blazerfreak2Gunz]

@guitarhamster102 Asians want the best for their kids, and want them to work hard now so they can have a better life in the future... 200k doesn't seem bad to me, the hard work that you put int has a payoff. And attending a prestigious college is what makes hard work all that much more rewarding just my opinion

[lifehappens]

i think shes just an isolated case who's advocating something horrible bc she didnt have any bad experiences from it. im supposedly successful and i will admit its bc of my parents strictness. growing up, i was never good enough for them so i tried as hard as i could, tamping down my own desires and happiness to make them proud of me. well now im on my way to med school in the fall and i utterly hate myself. i have panic attacks, im never satisfied with my efforts and im depressed/suicidal.

[renovawolborg]

It was crime for CHua to be born.

[cerebralwolf666]

she is so sexy O.O

[oscarsharp1]

@crazyaboutnaruto1596 all these negative comments of everyone… seems to be all Westerners or such thinkers! Its about order and long term planning

[MrJetsFan100]

My mom is a tiger mother in costume; to others, she is a sweet hispanic lady in her Metropolitan Museum of Art scarves, almost like my grandmother. To my sister and me, she freaks out if we get a low A, or report cards with any subject below an A. She only lets me go out with friends if my grades are excellent, and though I don't play any instruments, I dance 14 hours a week and still have to produce the grades. However, she is by far the only mother I would ever like to have.

[lenangjf]

I wish she were my personal tutor. I never had the opportunity to learn music since young because my family couldn't afford, so I didn't really achieve anything growing up. She convinces me that with discipline and countless practices, it is possible to excel. Now I am just wondering if I have any musical genes inside me...

[k8ysk8]

When I grow up, I think that I will have high expectations like that for my kids. But I would let them have play dates and stuff..... And I wouldn't call them trash :(