ktoumajian 's review for:

Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua

3.0

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This book actually surprised me; I was expecting to be put off by the writer's arrogance which is what came across in the articles & excerpts I read prior to actually reading the book, but I was most struck by her humility and even self-deprecation. Parenting is such a messy, imperfect business, and Chua writes honestly about her decision to parent in a particular way (the Chinese way) and what she learns from this. She admits eventually that choice is important for older children but holds firm to her argument that younger children do not need choice and need to be pushed to attain excellence in order to discover their true abilities. Will I never allow a sleepover or make Olivia practice piano for 6 hours a day in lieu of a one hour playdate as Chua did? No. But reading this did make me see the ways in which at times Western parents may have made things a little too easy for their children and that being pushed is not always such a bad thing. I read this with a group of friends who are mothers and I am very interested in their opinions. I have a 2 1/2 year old so I've had limited decisions to make on her behalf; in the future I think I will think more seriously what choices to allow as a result of reading this book:) I enjoyed it.