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3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
• r e v i e w •
Let me start off by saying that Chinese parenting Amy Chua speaks about is really terrible. It'll eventually leave the children scarred, insecure and completely overworked. Now, I'm not saying Chinese parenting is followed by all of them but if they do, there's nothing more frightening than this. Amy Chua makes us laugh, that's a given but there's something utterly disturbing about her parenting style. She yells, threatens and wages war with her children in order to derive the best grades and to keep them practicing piano and violin. I'm not a parent but I say this with conviction; no child deserves to be subjected to this torture. I do not care if you're trying to derive the best from your kids but the sheer amount of pressure that you put them under is so so wrong.
Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother is about how Chua, a second generation Chinese woman who marries a Jewish man and brings up their two daughters, Lulu and Sophia. Very quickly it becomes abundantly clear that she thinks very highly of the so-called Chinese parenting, constantly comparing it with Western parenting. Her children, although musically gifted are pushed to extremes, making them practice for at least six hours every day! Their vacations are filled with practice sessions, they were denied sleepovers, parties, sports - basically anything that makes childhood fun. Chua puts all this in a manner that seems right but it is so morally wrong. I was overcome with a sense of pity and sadness for the kids when I read about how she controlled their lives with an iron fist. Perhaps this was not what she wanted the readers to experience but I strongly believe that this book backfired tremendously. She has managed to create a strong stereotype about how brutal Chinese parenting is, although that's not the case. If I had a penny for every time she did something unbelievable, I would have been a millionaire by now. Her book is shocking.
Read this for yourself and decide if her style of parenting is truly good or very horrid.
I gave this two stars solely for her writing style.
2/5.
Let me start off by saying that Chinese parenting Amy Chua speaks about is really terrible. It'll eventually leave the children scarred, insecure and completely overworked. Now, I'm not saying Chinese parenting is followed by all of them but if they do, there's nothing more frightening than this. Amy Chua makes us laugh, that's a given but there's something utterly disturbing about her parenting style. She yells, threatens and wages war with her children in order to derive the best grades and to keep them practicing piano and violin. I'm not a parent but I say this with conviction; no child deserves to be subjected to this torture. I do not care if you're trying to derive the best from your kids but the sheer amount of pressure that you put them under is so so wrong.
Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother is about how Chua, a second generation Chinese woman who marries a Jewish man and brings up their two daughters, Lulu and Sophia. Very quickly it becomes abundantly clear that she thinks very highly of the so-called Chinese parenting, constantly comparing it with Western parenting. Her children, although musically gifted are pushed to extremes, making them practice for at least six hours every day! Their vacations are filled with practice sessions, they were denied sleepovers, parties, sports - basically anything that makes childhood fun. Chua puts all this in a manner that seems right but it is so morally wrong. I was overcome with a sense of pity and sadness for the kids when I read about how she controlled their lives with an iron fist. Perhaps this was not what she wanted the readers to experience but I strongly believe that this book backfired tremendously. She has managed to create a strong stereotype about how brutal Chinese parenting is, although that's not the case. If I had a penny for every time she did something unbelievable, I would have been a millionaire by now. Her book is shocking.
Read this for yourself and decide if her style of parenting is truly good or very horrid.
I gave this two stars solely for her writing style.
2/5.
Okay, in a rush of pure interest and absolute horror, I finished this book very quickly. Also, it was short.
I think about parenting a lot. I am not a parent myself, nor do I plan to become one for at least a few more years. But there is something about the act of caring for and trying to raise children that is fascinating to me. I am always interested in how others were parented and how they choose to parent their own children. So of course I had to read this book.
I swung wildly back and forth, from hating Amy and all of her parenting methods and then to thinking, “Well, that is a good point.” It certainly didn't help me come to any conclusions about the kind of parent that I'd like to be, but it is nice to hear what other people have to say about it.
I will continue to be fiercely against 5-hour instrument practice sessions and rote memorization when it comes to education. But maybe I will be a parent that makes their children earn privileges and not give up so easily on sports and activities. I think my parents both did a wonderful job of instilling work ethic and patience and compassion in my brother and I. I can only hope that I do just as good of a job with my own future children. (Lord knows I haven’t succeeded with our cats).
Recommended for people who enjoy a good memoir and like to read things that are "controversial."
I think about parenting a lot. I am not a parent myself, nor do I plan to become one for at least a few more years. But there is something about the act of caring for and trying to raise children that is fascinating to me. I am always interested in how others were parented and how they choose to parent their own children. So of course I had to read this book.
I swung wildly back and forth, from hating Amy and all of her parenting methods and then to thinking, “Well, that is a good point.” It certainly didn't help me come to any conclusions about the kind of parent that I'd like to be, but it is nice to hear what other people have to say about it.
I will continue to be fiercely against 5-hour instrument practice sessions and rote memorization when it comes to education. But maybe I will be a parent that makes their children earn privileges and not give up so easily on sports and activities. I think my parents both did a wonderful job of instilling work ethic and patience and compassion in my brother and I. I can only hope that I do just as good of a job with my own future children. (Lord knows I haven’t succeeded with our cats).
Recommended for people who enjoy a good memoir and like to read things that are "controversial."
Compelling read, but man is this woman crazy!! Read my review here:
http://mariesbookgarden.blogspot.com/2011/04/battle-hymn-of-tiger-mother-experiment.html
http://mariesbookgarden.blogspot.com/2011/04/battle-hymn-of-tiger-mother-experiment.html
Interesting quick read. Made me think about how I parent and helped to give me perspective
Any memoir is at risk of portraying the author as self indulgent. Some of the better memoirs toe that line. I think Chua goes overboard in self promotion and patting herself on the back (interestingly a very "Western" practice). What do you think her physical health is like? Not to mention everyone else's in the family. I got tired of reading how stupid I am as an American, and I don't have kids so I am not particularly sensitive to attacks on parenting technique. The Slate.com had an article that suggested I would be envious of Chua-I also think that's very western and I'm just not into it. I am also not really into the opposite type of parenting, and feel most parents aim for something in the middle, and most kids turn out fine. Not trained (non-hereditary) prodigies, but why does prodigy equal "success?"
I loved this book! I know it got a lot of heat and caused controversy, but I think its great. Ok, so it may be a little over the top in some places. But it was empowering to hear from a mom who thinks its ok not to coddle your kids and to push them to achieve their potential. Good to remember our current American parenting style of "everone is a winner, everyone gets a trophy" isn't the only way.
I loved the honesty Amy has in this book. There are times when I hated Amy and times when I completely agreed with her. An interesting read for sure.
I just can't think of anything nice to say. Any observation I have is colored by my opinion of the author, and that isn't fair to her.
Not that she deserves fairness, but I'll give it to her anyway.
It is my fervent hope that her daughters a) attend a two-bit community college; b) smoke pot; c) take up the drums; d) flunk out; and e) become successful, happy performance artists who marry hair band members. It would just KILL their mother.
Not that she deserves fairness, but I'll give it to her anyway.
It is my fervent hope that her daughters a) attend a two-bit community college; b) smoke pot; c) take up the drums; d) flunk out; and e) become successful, happy performance artists who marry hair band members. It would just KILL their mother.
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Funny and hilarious, it had some interesting things about parenting and made me really think about what I would ant of my children,