I gotta tell ya, I couldn't put Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mom down. Why is everyone going crazy and writing Amy Chua hate mail? So much of it is obviously tongue in cheek; she has a refreshingly intelligent way of at once poking fun of herself and also bringing to light some ne'er talked about important issues in education regarding race and parental involvement. (Don't forget that Asian Americans rocked the PISA, other American students didn't do so well).
I'm not saying I would ever employ some of her "extreme" parenting methods, but it did make me think twice about some of my own expectations and practices. I also secretly wonder now if our violin teacher thinks I'm a typical slacker "Western mom." She's a very accomplished teacher (to say the least) and almost all of her other students are Asian. It may be time to hit that one a little harder...
