Helpful Score: 3
There has been much controversy about this book. If anyone bothered to read it through to the end, they would have noticed that the author herself questions her Chinese parenting style and comes to the conclusion that while you need to support and push your children to find their own strengths, you also have to do that within their own personalities. There is no one size fits all approach but strong values and concepts will prevail. She also demonstrates that motherhood is hard hard work.
Helpful Score: 3
Its easy to attach controversy to this book. Parenting is a sensitive subject, and there are a lot of stereotypes surrounding Asians, Asian Americans, and Chinese parenting. But if youre reading BATTLE HYMN OF THE TIGER MOTHER with the expectation of analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of Chinese parenting, youre getting your reading experience wrong. BATTLE HYMN is a comic memoir of one mother and her two daughters; it is NOT meant to be read as a representation of all Asian or immigrant parents, it is NOT a parenting manual, and it is NOT trying to make any formal statements about any kind of parenting.
Amy Chua is in the unusual, unique, and privileged position of tiger parenting. She adopts the Chinese parenting modelbecause she herself is in fact American, and thus her memoir cannot be a representation of actual Chinese immigrant parenting, because it is always tempered by the girls American society and the Western freedom that Chua does give her daughters. Read the book carefully: Chua doesnt talk about demanding her daughters to be doctors or lawyers. Her love for her daughters isnt conditional to the girls success, just to whether or not they put all that they could into their efforts.
What BATTLE HYMN really should be read as is comedyand if it makes you rethink your parenting strategies, well, then, more power to you. Chua skillfully weaves hyperbole and just a tinge of the absurd into her prose, with the result that, even in the guise of SuperScary Tiger Mom, she remains utterly charming and amusing. Sometimes I couldnt decide whether to be shocked at a scene, or to nod in sympathy, or to laugh out loud.
More people than you thinkespecially children of Asians and immigrantswill be able to relate to the story of Amy Chua and her daughters. BATTLE HYMN OF THE TIGER MOTHER is an entertaining and thought-provoking look into the parenting adventures of one determined mother and her two talented daughters. It has certainly made me think more about what kind of parent Id want to be if I am ever a parentand to expect the unexpected when it comes to people.
Amy Chua is in the unusual, unique, and privileged position of tiger parenting. She adopts the Chinese parenting modelbecause she herself is in fact American, and thus her memoir cannot be a representation of actual Chinese immigrant parenting, because it is always tempered by the girls American society and the Western freedom that Chua does give her daughters. Read the book carefully: Chua doesnt talk about demanding her daughters to be doctors or lawyers. Her love for her daughters isnt conditional to the girls success, just to whether or not they put all that they could into their efforts.
What BATTLE HYMN really should be read as is comedyand if it makes you rethink your parenting strategies, well, then, more power to you. Chua skillfully weaves hyperbole and just a tinge of the absurd into her prose, with the result that, even in the guise of SuperScary Tiger Mom, she remains utterly charming and amusing. Sometimes I couldnt decide whether to be shocked at a scene, or to nod in sympathy, or to laugh out loud.
More people than you thinkespecially children of Asians and immigrantswill be able to relate to the story of Amy Chua and her daughters. BATTLE HYMN OF THE TIGER MOTHER is an entertaining and thought-provoking look into the parenting adventures of one determined mother and her two talented daughters. It has certainly made me think more about what kind of parent Id want to be if I am ever a parentand to expect the unexpected when it comes to people.
Helpful Score: 3
As an asian-american, the book aggravated me. What her children endured sounded like torture, and I'm so glad she wasn't my mother. They may be quite excellent musically and academically, but I morn the loss of their childhood. Her method lacked balance and love. It may behoove Ms. Chua that it IS possible to excel in life without the oppression, and being the best in music seems more like mom's dream rather than her dtrs'. They have all these acclamations for their success, but so what? There are so many joys interspersed in daily life that was lost. Despite my negative review, I do acknowledge that this is an autobiography and therefore someone's unique life story. For that, the book is what it is.
Helpful Score: 2
I had to see what the hype was about this book because I'm also an Asian-American raised by immigrant parents. I wasn't impressed with Amy Chua's book. You should know this is more a memoir than a parenting book. Her parents' style of parenting is what Chua uses(ed) with her two daughters. Her parenting style is dark and, at times, brutal. Some of her anecdotes leave the reader feeling very uneasy. She comes across as a drill sergeant and her children the new recruits who must be broken in. While I'm not a fan of lenient, "I'm your friend" style of parenting that some Western parents use, I'm also not a fan of harsh, borderline abusive methods either. My parents raised me without resorting to the name-calling, disturbing methods Chua used and I turned out fine.
I look forward to the day when her fully-grown, fully emancipated daughters write their own tell-all book about their upbringing.
I look forward to the day when her fully-grown, fully emancipated daughters write their own tell-all book about their upbringing.
I realy liked the reviewer that said that this book was not meant to be a parenting guide.
I am one of those that enjoyed the book. I liked watching the differences between the girls. My favorite part is when the daughter cut her own hair, ugly on purpose, to make a point with her over controlling mother. I think it took a lot of courage for the mother to publish this. I think it was great and am glad that i read it.
I am one of those that enjoyed the book. I liked watching the differences between the girls. My favorite part is when the daughter cut her own hair, ugly on purpose, to make a point with her over controlling mother. I think it took a lot of courage for the mother to publish this. I think it was great and am glad that i read it.
The book started off well and was captivating but at the end I felt like I was just reading it because I knew I had paid for the book and felt I should get my money's worth. Got to be more of a "brag fest" about the author's kids by the end of the book.
Hard to believe that the author represents Chinese motherhood as she states again and again in this book. Found her approach to raising her daughters a bit much. It's not acceptable if her daughters are not at the top of their classes or do not perform musically beyond every other child. The author admits that she yells and screams to get them do do what she wants them to do because it's for their own good. Is this what it takes to be a good mother? I think there is much more to the task which she tries to admit at the end of the book, but her statements left me wondering if she ever would.
The insane kerfluffle over this book is just that: Insane. This is a funny memoir that compares "Chinese" parenting to "Western" parenting. The main punching bag is THE AUTHOR, whom so many critics attacked as some sort of horrible mother.
She leaves the reader with much to consider, including what areas in Chinese parenting might be worth considering. In China, the book was marketed as a manual of how to be flexible and emotionally connected to your kids.
As she notes, Chinese parenting has lots in common with Desi (Indian/Pakistani), Nigerian, and other cultures. The higher role placed on the family unit as opposed to the individualism of each family member is common to most non-Western family structures.
Dr. Chua is terribly funny and owns her own excesses very clearly. She isn't critical of her daughters (especially the one who rebels against her "Chinese" standards) - she is critical of *herself*. She clearly adores -- loves, appreciates and respects -- her daughters.
This book is not a parenting manual - it is a meditation that offers no pat answers. But I do think I am a better parent for having read it.
She leaves the reader with much to consider, including what areas in Chinese parenting might be worth considering. In China, the book was marketed as a manual of how to be flexible and emotionally connected to your kids.
As she notes, Chinese parenting has lots in common with Desi (Indian/Pakistani), Nigerian, and other cultures. The higher role placed on the family unit as opposed to the individualism of each family member is common to most non-Western family structures.
Dr. Chua is terribly funny and owns her own excesses very clearly. She isn't critical of her daughters (especially the one who rebels against her "Chinese" standards) - she is critical of *herself*. She clearly adores -- loves, appreciates and respects -- her daughters.
This book is not a parenting manual - it is a meditation that offers no pat answers. But I do think I am a better parent for having read it.
I was interested to see what all the hype was about and very curious to read this story. It started out very engaging and I could very well relate to what she was saying growing up in an Asian home myself. But the whole story revolves around her obsession with getting her children to practice music which 1) you get tired of even reading about and 2) really feel bad for the children. She tries to redeem herself in the end by saying how her children appreciate her for pushing them so hard but I can't imagine what the children lost in the process. She defines that giving her children this hard discipline leads to happiness in the Chinese sense which I don't agree. Success does not mean happiness and the way she ended her story was weak, as if she had to come to conclusion as to how she chose to raise her children to justify her doing it in this way.
In my opinion Amy Chua should have been embarrased to publish this book. First off its very poorly written for such a self important, well educated woman. Secondly, CPS should have gotten involved with this family for the abuse she inflicted on her daughters. In this age of cultural sensitivity and Political Correctness perhaps she believed that would save her by blaming her Chinese heritage for the abuse, however, her American husband is also at fault for allowing her to behave this way towards his children. All I can say is that I didnt abuse my children and they graduated from Columbia University and are successful and well balanced and most important they love and respect me and my husband. Dont waste your time on this trash or Ms.Chua, she clearly deserved an F for this book.
