I think the book should be read by parents and the critics should look at the results of her book. We complain and ask why is America falling behind in areas of math, science, history etc.. yet this mother, who is very successful in her own right, has given her two daughters the tools needed to be equally if not more successful. Her daughters appreciate the lessons she's taught albeit through tough love, her daughters do not settle for less than their personal best. She has challenged her daughters and America to look at what we are doing wrong...accepting mediocrity as a norm and not pushing ourselves or our children to the limits. I think that by criticizing her we discount the fact that her children have made all A's in school (with the exception of the one A-) and are very socially normal, happy girls. I think we would all do well to take a lesson in holding ourselves and children accountable to do extraordinary things in light of having so many opportunities to succeed. Maybe our discussion should be how can we incorporate that mentality of excellence is the goal not the exception in our lives. As a military officer, I am reminded of what former Sec State/Gen(ret) Colin Powell, whom we all profess to love in American politics and military strategy...says in the military we take a person and break them down in basic training, strip them of their individualism and that drill sergeant that they despise initially then begin to love because he/she was tough and they want to now please that drill sergeant....it's worked in our military for centuries why not with our children before they join the military.

I do not begrudge Chua for writing a book about her "AHA" moment, but I do resent the way she has further propagated the stereotypical image of the "pushy" Asian parent.

I am a Chinese mother which is not the same as a tiger mother. I have my own ideas of what constitutes good parenting, and they are very different from those of the tiger mother's.

I am fortunate to have an academically successful daughter who achieved near perfect SAT scores, and received offers from all the top Ivy colleges. I will take credit for having given her a whole lot of support, but I am certain my parenting skills had nothing to do with her college acceptances. In truth, I suspect race and gender played major roles.

And yet, I was always perceived as the pushy Asian mother by her teachers and counselors, and by other parents as well, Asian and non-Asian alike.

I feel that most people, including Asians, simply refuse to believe a young Asian woman can be extremely motivated on her own.

Chua and her publishers did a very good job of publicizing her book, but it came at the expense of all the academically successful Asian students who will have an even harder time of shaking off the image they could not have accomplished much without their tiger mothers pushing them.

www.thegoodchinesemother.wordpress.com

Amy Chua is a bonsaist. She cuts it here, and nips it there. Her trees will never grow to their full potential.

Good Chinese Mother's comments about race and gender being a factor in her daughter's acceptance into Ivy League schools is likely inaccurate. If anything, Asians and women are over-represented at such institutions. As a result, acceptance is often more difficult, not less so. With that said, I suspect an encouraging academically nourishing environment had more to do with her daughter's success than anything else.

On a related matter, I can't criticize Ms. Chua for her child rearing methods. Short of abuse, parents should be free to raise their children as they see fit. Moreover, it seems to have worked for the Chua family so far. If you don't appreciate her tactics, don't employ them.

I personally welcome any provocative book that elicits strong feelings, prompting conversation about raising children. As a parent, this book motivated me to reflect on my own parenting style, and discuss it with others. That's got to be a good thing.

As a college consultant, I wouldn’t mind a judicious sprinkling of the Eastern approach in raising American high school students. Parental involvement varies across the board in our society, from abject neglect to hypermanaging. Ironically, helicoptering in our culture seems more about micromanaging a kid’s resume and decisions than being engaged with the SUBSTANCE of learning.

By contrast, I was struck by Chua’s description of Tiger Moms’ hands-on role in their children’s ACADEMICS: “It’s true that Chinese mothers get in the trenches, putting in long grueling hours personally tutoring…” That’s impressive. Among my clients, I see so many parents who attend every soccer game, but have no idea what their student is studying in history, or what he got on the last test. They're obsessive, all right, but not about the things that will get their children ahead in life.

In my practice, I see many parents who are so long on self-esteem (or at least ego) and so short on drive to build their child’s competencies, that they unwittingly create unrealistic expectations for college admission. The child is given a false sense of entitlement to be accepted at an elite college, without the qualifications for today’s competitive college marketplace.

“By contrast,” Chua says in her book, “the Chinese believe that the best way to protect their children is by preparing them for the future, letting them see what they’re capable of, and arming them with skills, work habits, and inner confidence that no one can ever take away.”

Will those kids end up in therapy? Probably. But underachieving kids with no direction end up in therapy too. I obviously could lose Professor Chua's harsh, in-your-face style, but I think she does have an important lesson to teach American parents.

I'm wondering what the goal of the "Tiger Mother" is: to raise a successful adult or a happy adult? I cringe for the creatively bent child that is born into such a family (let's say, heaven forbid, one that wants to be an actor). Don't we all know that doing what you love brings happiness, regardless of the pay check that comes with it?

But let's say, for arguments sake, that accolades and dollar signs do bring true happiness--which country has the larger economy? The U.S. or China? Which one has had the most technological/scientific/ medical advances in the last 50 years? Last 100 years? Seems to me, the chinese are known for having successful children, not successful adults.

Hi Theresa, admittedly America has come up with many of the innovations of the past century. However, don't forget that china basically dominated for 1800 years before that.

I think the question to ask is: of all those innovators, how many were immigrants or children of immigrants looking for something better? Also, I daresay all would have been obsessively driven to do what they did. Innovation doesn't come easy, in any way.

BTW China has practically just emerged from poverty in the last 20 years, and the US owes it something like 900 billion dollars. Worth thinking about, no?

I think that this thing is getting way out of hand!!

No wonder people turn out the way they do with parents like these around.