Book #10: Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother

Title: Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother
Author: Amy Chua

Yes, of course, I succumbed to Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother. After being linked to Amy Chua's WSJ article about five times the day it was released, and reading the inevitable spinoffs comparing Mormon mothers to Chinese mothers (I know that I, for one, bear no resemblance whatsoever to a Chinese mother), I had to read the rest of the story myself. Like most people who have read the book, I was occasionally in awe of Chua's dedication (when my kids practice the piano and the clarinet, I try to find things to do so I don't have to be in the room; I certainly don't practice with them for four hours a day) and sometimes aghast at the lengths Chua went to enforce her maternal superiority (bringing the violin on trips and taping music to the tv screen in the hotel, for instance). But every time I'd get so worked up that I'd read a passage to Eddie, he'd always say, "It sounds like she's pretty self-deprecating." Keeping that in mind gave me a softer impression of Chua. For all her bravado, I think we need to read between the lines. She's been with the same husband for 25 years. She loves her parents and siblings (the passages when her sister is fighting cancer are particularly heartbreaking). And her daughters still seem to love her for all she's put them through. I think Chua pushed her girls hard, but she also did a great job creating a persona for the memoir. And it works. The book is selling like crazy. Which is a good thing, because Julliard is expensive.