Ghastly

If you enjoy listening to the worst of American cultural values "on steroids" then go for this title. But for normal folks - this type of parenting is possibly a root cause for some of the negativity that betrays Americanism and certainly not something one can suffer listening to - don't waste your money.

3 people found this helpful

Brilliant, funny, self-deprecating

I really enjoyed this book. Amy Chua is a gifted comic writer, her humour is wry and her timing is perfect. She delivers one-liners and put-downs (many aimed at herself) which made me laugh out loud, especially being a mother myself and recognising many situations she describes with her daughters. I almost howled with laughter when she gets super-competitive about her dog as well. Chua is priceless, and her reading of her own memoir is flawless, her voice captivating and very ironic. How can this woman be also a professor of law? She is monstrously gifted - or just raised that way by her parents!

3 people found this helpful

Interesting to hear how others do it...

Heard about this book after seeing a clip of the 'controversial' author on Oprah. Having now 'read' the book I found it interesting to hear how another mother decided to bring up her daughters and the results her methods received. This book has several stories which I found myself sharing or discussing with friends so it's definitely worth a read, even though you probably won't agree with all her views.

2 people found this helpful

A real insight...!

Where does The Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It's one of the best

What other book might you compare The Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother to, and why?

I can't think if any other book quite like it!

Which scene did you most enjoy?

Don't want to spoil it but I will just say "red square"

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

As above

Any additional comments?

We'll read. Simply could not stop listening!

1 person found this helpful

Fascinating book on how others mothers do it...

At the end of the book you will either like or loathe Amy Chua. She tells her 'Chinese' story for Westerners, and her discipline, drive and ambition are frightening and fascinating. I didn't loathe her and although I felt desperately sorry for her children on some occasions, I do feel that she did give them gifts that they will carry with them all their lives. While I would never condone her child rearing method, it certainly made me take a good long look at my own easy going family and wonder if perhaps I should ramp up my 'Tiger Mothering' to wean my son off the ps3 so he could practice his drums more!
It is a very well written book and I particularly liked the fact that she narrates it.

1 person found this helpful

Not the way I bring up my kids, but interesting!

I was pleasantly surprised by the book. After the media hype I expected the author unlikeable, her ideas completely absurd and the book a tedious read. Instead Amy Chuan's writing is witty, she can laugh about herself and her obsession to bring out the best in her children, her family even her dogs (if she succeeded is a different story). Although I would never force my children to practice classical music for three hours a day and cut down therefore their time for playing and recreation. I found some of her ideas worth thinking about. Especially her statement, western parents don't dare to have high expectations of their kids because they don't want to put in the time and effort that it needs to help them to fulfill the high expectations, was a bit of an eye-opener for me.
I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to know more about it than the snippets we got in the media.

1 person found this helpful

self indulgent racist elitist drivel

I've known this was a controversial book, but a friend said it was quite enlightening so I thought I'd give it a try. The author ignores the fact she came from an extremely privileged background and a long line of clever academics, cross that with her one sided view of bringing up two equally brainy daughters, and concluded her way is the only proven and accepted parenting style of "Chinese mothers".

She can do with spending 5 minutes doing some research into scientific studies in the psychological damage that her brand of parenting can leave in young children. Not everyone are as lucky to have naturally bright children.

she talks about being lucky to pick the right musical instruments for her daughters who are naturally talented with them. then go on to conclude her endless forced practice sessions were the reasons for their success. basically she started with the conclusion and found "evidence" to support her weak argument.

A different cultural perspective on parenting

An interesting read on different cultural ideas on education and parenting from a Chinese mother with her American Chinese girls..

interesting

a mother's perspective on parenting. interesting especially if you are a mother. feel there's no ending to it.

Gripping and Uplifting.

As a mother, I wasn’t sure what to expect with this book. I was fascinated and hooked from day 1. I listened attentively as I drove the long drive to and from work and I could not wait to get back into the car again to find out what would happen next. When I finished reading the book, I felt like starting all over again. Thank you Amy for your spellbinding tales. I will surely adopt some of your practices to raise my daughter ( Caribbean heritage and first generation to be raised in western world). Though, I must admit I did find that sometimes you were quite tenacious in your approach.