No less than half a dozen people on my Facebook page posted link’s to Amy Chua’s essay in the Wall Street Journal publicizing her controversial new parenting memoir (handbook?) “Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother”. She’s certainly stirring up a frenzy in the Asian American community and making quite a name for herself. There are quite a few reviews of this book online and in print, mostly they appear to be press exceprts from the publisher.
Terry Hong of Smithsonian Book Dragon wrote up a thorough, independent view in the San Francisco Chronicle.
And Hyphen Magazine, Angry Asian Man and Racialicious have already posted reactions, and while I agree that the premise of Chua’s book is somewhat alarming, bordering on advocating child abuse, I don’t think any of these writers have read the book, and are reacting to Chua’s excerpt in the Wall Street Journal.
And yes, I plan to do a review of book, but seeing as how it isn’t officially released until January 11, ( I haven’t heard back from the publisher, Penguin Press, about receiving an advance reviewer’s copy) I’ll have to wait until I can get my hands on it.