But the book is not, as some have led you to believe, simply a recitation by Amy Chua of why her method of parenting—the Chinese way—is superior to permissive Western parenting. Rather it helps understand another mindset. One where allowing a child to stop when something gets tough reinforces failure, while she wanted her daughters to see they could achieve more than they imagined with hard work. More importantly it is a story of two very different daughters and how the “Chinese way” worked for one, but not the other. By book’s end it is clear that the book is really about discovering that children are different, requiring different motivators, parenting, and approaches. And that’s a story that resonates.
Amy Chua will be a featured speaker at the IECA Spring Conference this May in Philadelphia. Watch for conference registration to open in a few days.