About this item
An awe-inspiring often hilarious and unerringly honest story of one mothers exercise in extreme parenting revealing the rewards-and the costs-of raising her children the Chinese way All decent parents want to do whats best for their children What Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother reveals is that the Chinese just have a totally different idea of how to do that Western parents try to respect their childrens individuality encouraging them to pursue their true passions and providing a nurturing environment The Chinese believe that the best way to protect your children is by preparing them for the future and arming them with skills strong work habits and inner confidence Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother chronicles Chuas iron-willed decision to raise her daughters Sophia and Lulu her way-the Chinese way-and the remarkable results her choice inspires Here are some things Amy Chua would never allow her daughters to do bull have a playdate bull be in a school play bull complain about not being in a school play bull not be the student in every subject except gym and drama bull play any instrument other than the piano or violin bull not play the piano or violin The truth is Lulu and Sophia would never have had time for a playdate They were too busy practicing their instruments two to three hours a day and double sessions on the weekend and perfecting their Mandarin Of course no one is perfect including Chua herself Witness this scene According to Sophia here are three things I actually said to her at the piano as I supervised her practicing Oh my God youre just getting worse and worse Im going to count to three then I want musicality If the next times not PERFECT Im going to take all your stuffed animals and burn them But Chua demands as much of herself as she does of her daughters And in her sacrifices-the exacting attention spent studying her daughters performances the office hours lost shuttling the girls to lessons-the depth of her love for her children becomes clear Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother is an eye-opening exploration of the differences in Eastern and Western parenting--and the lessons parents and children everywhere teach one another.
About the Author
Amy Chua is the John M. Duff Professor of Law at Yale Law School. Her first book, World on Fire: How Exporting Free Market Democracy Breeds Ethnic Hatred and Global Instability, a New York Times bestseller, was selected by both The Economist and the U.K.'s Guardian as one of the Best Books of 2003. Her second book, Day of Empire: How Hyperpowers Rise to Global Dominance-and Why They Fall, was a critically acclaimed Foreign Affairs bestseller.
