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nekreader 's review for:
Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother
by Amy Chua
I liked this book, which only takes about two hours to read, not because I find Chua's extreme parenting style particularly admirable, but because her extreme positions point out the absurdities of other extreme positions. Somewhere in the ensuing discussion we can find a happy middle ground. Chua's book points out the benefits of teaching children to work hard, even when it's not fun, the importance of individual attention in education, and the effect of high standards on work product and outcomes. I've had my children in progressive schools that advocated a "follow the child approach". That produced a child who couldn't read or write very well because she didn't think those things were fun because for her they were harder than math. I'm not sure what my son got out of building a sugar cube model of the White House, but I am sure that his lack of ability to sink a lot of shots in basketball was related to practice and not bad luck. Yes, Chua's ideas seem crazy, but it also seems crazy to me to be upset that your child didn't get a big part in the school musical because that part went to a more talented child who you don't think should have gotten a big part because she was already class president and big roles should be distributed equally. Sometimes your best isn't good enough and sometimes you have to make sacrifices to achieve something bigger. Chua's book makes these points in a hyperbolic way, but not without some underlying truths. It can be thought provoking and maddening all at the same time.