Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by dusktodawn
Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
3.0
I read this book because it got so much criticism and I was curious as to what made the Western critics upset. I recommend this book to anyone who's interested in gaining more insight into the Eastern style of parenting. The writing style makes the book very quick and easy to read.
Growing up Asian in a predominantly white and black area, I did notice differences in my upbringing versus others around me. The "Chinese" style of parenting illustrated in this book reminded me of my own upbringing. Although I'm not Chinese, due to my parents adopting some of the Western culture, I experienced more of a hybrid style (half Eastern and half Western) of parenting. I can't say that I completely agree with the Eastern style of parenting. The constant judgment on my being, the expectations of perfection, comparing how inferior I was to other people around me, and making me feel guilty for my own existence really did a number on my self-esteem that took me years to overcome. But, I also can't say that I completely Disagree with the Eastern style of parenting either. Because I felt like nothing I did was ever good enough, I always pushed and strived for perfection. It wasn't enough to just complete the goal - I had to CRUSH IT. From the feelings of inadequacy, I turned that into drive, energy, and ambition to be the person that I'm proud to be. However, I also recognize that, that says more about me and how I chose to act on those feelings.
The Eastern style of parenting can be effective for some people, if perfection, high achievement, and ambition is the goal. But as I've gained more experience in life, I feel that there's more to life than just focusing on the typical achievements. It's more important to be a good, kind, compassionate, moral, and ethical human being.
Growing up Asian in a predominantly white and black area, I did notice differences in my upbringing versus others around me. The "Chinese" style of parenting illustrated in this book reminded me of my own upbringing. Although I'm not Chinese, due to my parents adopting some of the Western culture, I experienced more of a hybrid style (half Eastern and half Western) of parenting. I can't say that I completely agree with the Eastern style of parenting. The constant judgment on my being, the expectations of perfection, comparing how inferior I was to other people around me, and making me feel guilty for my own existence really did a number on my self-esteem that took me years to overcome. But, I also can't say that I completely Disagree with the Eastern style of parenting either. Because I felt like nothing I did was ever good enough, I always pushed and strived for perfection. It wasn't enough to just complete the goal - I had to CRUSH IT. From the feelings of inadequacy, I turned that into drive, energy, and ambition to be the person that I'm proud to be. However, I also recognize that, that says more about me and how I chose to act on those feelings.
The Eastern style of parenting can be effective for some people, if perfection, high achievement, and ambition is the goal. But as I've gained more experience in life, I feel that there's more to life than just focusing on the typical achievements. It's more important to be a good, kind, compassionate, moral, and ethical human being.