Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother

Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Wow. What a memoir! I found this really fascinating. It really got me thinking. I'm just getting used to the idea of motherhood and how to get my two year old to say "mom", but teaching math to toddlers? I think I connected with the theme of this so well that I gave the book four stars. However, I could see how well seasoned mothers would find her methods horrifying. I do think that Amy Chua is extremely prideful to the point of bragging about her life...of course in the Chinese culture this attitude is acceptable, but I would say that the American culture is turned off by someone that flaunts their lifestyle so openly. The author really isn't very likable. But the ideas in her book! I would never adopt her parenting style, BUT I really thought she had some good observations about "western" parenting. One that I thought most true, was how Americans feel that children should have the freedom to choose what they want to be passionate about. Her premise was that if you let a child do that their "passion" will be to spend hours on facebook everyday and eat junk food. But her flip-side is extreme, commanding her children and telling them what they will and will not do. She wanted her children to be music prodigies and so she made it happen. I do think it is important to invest in your children and observe what they may naturally be good at whether it is sports, music, acting, etc. I don't think I would force my children to do something that they did not want to do. There is just no way I could compare myself to this mother HOWEVER, from a mormon mommy standpoint, I would like to see her try and have seven or eight kids. I understand better why a lot of Asian families tend to be small. Very interesting read if you are up for it!