Another book I may not have picked up except for the fact that I was going to have dinner with the author and wanted to be able to speak intelligently about her work. But, never having been a parent myself, I generally am not terribly interested in memoirs about raising kids. But I ended up loving this book. Not only is it funny, interesting and eye-opening, it also got me thinking.

Amy Chua is a first generation Chinese American. Her parents came to the U.S. in the sixties and worked hard to provide the American Dream for their daughters including an Ivy-League education. When Amy and her husband had children, they decided they would be raised in the Jewish faith (honoring her husband’s family) but with the values and discipline of a Chinese mother. Their daughters, Sophia and Lulu, were not allowed to participate in play dates, sleepovers, or even school plays. They were expected to play a musical instrument and excel at school and the girls did both. Sophia was the model daughter — did everything as expected. Young Lulu was another story; she was just like her mother.

The book, at times, seemed a little scary. Chua’s daughters are amazingly accomplished girls (now teens), so is the Chinese-mother model the better way to raise a child? Even Chua is somewhat ambivalent; each child (and every parent) is different. But, ultimately I was intrigued and the book certainly made me think. Bottom line, I continue to believe parenting is the hardest job out there. ~Patti

PS. A great book club book -- there is so much to discuss. After all, what raises hackles more than opinions on parenting?