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craftygoat 's review for:
Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother
by Amy Chua
I found this to be an interesting peek into someone else's completely-different-than-mine family. And it was an entertaining read in its own way (keeping in mind that it's a memoir, not an instruction manual). It's easy to dislike the author's methods -- heck, her antagonistic language makes it easy to dislike her, too. But there were parts I thought had merit, values I wouldn't mind passing on to my kids. For example, "Never complain or make excuses. If something seems unfair at school, just prove yourself by working twice as hard and being twice as good."
I was a little surprised to see that she wrote this "memoir" before her daughters graduated high school. Perhaps that's the reason she can't figure out how to end the book...? Why not wait a few years and give a fuller picture -- and also allow the girls to get past those rough teenage years before sharing their secrets with the world?
On the other hand, the "Coda" says she showed every page to her husband and daughters -- that the girls "contributed" and insisted on changes. "Some parts I had to rewrite two dozen times before I could satisfy both Sophia and Lulu." While that makes me feel less sorry for the daughters, it also contradicts the advice of most writing instructors. Does this writing-by-committee change the story? What was it like before she consulted her family?
It's an interesting read if you want to see what all the fuss is about, but you can skip it without missing anything of ground-breaking significance.
I was a little surprised to see that she wrote this "memoir" before her daughters graduated high school. Perhaps that's the reason she can't figure out how to end the book...? Why not wait a few years and give a fuller picture -- and also allow the girls to get past those rough teenage years before sharing their secrets with the world?
On the other hand, the "Coda" says she showed every page to her husband and daughters -- that the girls "contributed" and insisted on changes. "Some parts I had to rewrite two dozen times before I could satisfy both Sophia and Lulu." While that makes me feel less sorry for the daughters, it also contradicts the advice of most writing instructors. Does this writing-by-committee change the story? What was it like before she consulted her family?
It's an interesting read if you want to see what all the fuss is about, but you can skip it without missing anything of ground-breaking significance.