I'd heard a lot about this book for the last year or so, but it had never occurred to me to just check it out from the library and read it. Obviously, most of the hype was of the "Look how awful she is to her children!" type. I'd read a few excerpts from the book before so a lot of it felt familiar, and I knew exactly what she was going to be like before I read it. All in all, it was a really quick read, with a lot of interesting anecdotes and generalizations about Chinese vs. Western parenting (although Chua makes it clear that she knows she's generalizing). But I do think what she says about how permissive Western parents are (again, generalizing) is true, and there's a lot to be said with being more strict.
Of course, I don't think it's necessary to go as far as she does, calling her children garbage and making them practice the piano six hours a day. She's right--that DOESN'T sound fun, or worthwhile, in my opinion. While I think music lessons are good and I intend to put my kids through the same torture my mom suffered through with us, it's also not necessary for them to be the best at their instrument, playing at Carnegie Hall when they're in middle school. Whatever happened to being well-rounded?
I never felt like I really agreed with Chua, even while reading from her perspective the whole time. She didn't do a very good job of establishing ethos with her readers, considering that the book was written for a ton of other Western parents who she keeps railing against. No wonder so many people were offended--her tone is totally dismissive of anyone who disagrees with her, whether it be her daughters, her husband, or her hypothetical readers. All the same, Chua is a good writer, and, like I said, it was a quick read. I'm glad I read it.
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