...is really funny! Tongue in cheek memoir written by one (high achieving Yale Law professor) Chinese-American's take on raising her two daughters, Sophia & Lulu.She sets high standards, not buying into the 'Western' way of parenting that every child deserves a ribbon & should explore their every heart's desire since they are special snow flakes.
The book & Chua got a lot of backlash, but I imagine it's from people who only read the blurb that talks about how Chua did not allow her daughters to go on sleepovers (true because her daughter came home crabby & exhausted after attending one) & forced her daughter in the snow without a jacket for refusing to practice her violin (she did this for a minute before accepting defeat & admitting it was a bluff).
Similar to Lean In, if people had actually read the book, they would have understood the message. For some reason, books about motherhood result in visceral & passionate reactions just from the jacket summaries.
Chua was very strict with her daughters & made them practice their respective instruments for hours each day, even on vacation. Her children loved their instruments though, which provided feelings of accomplishment & confidence when performing, including a performance at Carnegie Hall & international music festival.
She also makes the point that it is hard work to be a 'Tiger Mom' - the hours driving her children to & from lessons, the notes she takes to help them improve, being 'hated' for her strictness & the opportunities she makes for them to excel. I realized at this point, I am too lazy to be a Tiger Mom.
Her method 'worked' with her two daughters attending Harvard & speaking of their love for their family & happy upbringing.
One of the funnier moments is when Chua realizes her pet dog is not picking up on basic tricks like catch & fetch. She finally realizes that he has trouble with his eyesight & rushes him to the vet, who declares that his eyesight is perfectly fine...he is just not the brightest, over-achieving dog Chua was expecting.
