"A tiger mother claiming that she can be cruel because happiness doesn’t matter is committing the ultimate hypocrisy since she derives her happiness from the hard work and accomplishments of her children."
Five years after Amy Chua’s Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother burst onto the scene, it’s still a cultural phenomenon. The words tiger mother have entered our lexicon. But what exactly do they mean? Is a tiger mother a martyr who selflessly pushes her children to be their very best? Or is she a demented, narcissistic nut job, stealing the childhoods of her offspring to fulfill her grandiose, adult desires? This book explores that question and more, as it delves into the hilarious journey of one family who were forced by circumstances beyond their control to take a very different--very "American"--parenting path.
--Library Journal
(from the back cover)
A memoir of how one family fought the myth that you have to destroy childhood to raise extraordinary adults.
What does a “successful” child look like?
If you imagined a straight-A-earning, classical-music-playing, rule-following, Ivy-bound prodigy, you’re not alone.
This is what I thought my kid should look like, too. I was determined to raise my child in this image, no matter the cost. After all, I was one of those kids. The traditional path to success sure worked for me.
But life intervened in ways I couldn’t have imagined.
I was faced with two choices: Impose my will no matter the trauma. Or, take a frightening, uncharted path—
—to where?
A sub-standard child, unable to succeed on the level I had?
Did letting up mean letting my child down?
Answering these questions took my family on a fascinating journey. What looked and felt like failure after failure on adult terms led to a different kind of success: mad creativity, fierce independence, and relentless self-direction.
In other words, everything an adult needs to make it in today’s world.
So what does a successful child look like?
She looks like my child. Maybe she also looks a lot like yours.
"Want your child to be creative, independent, mentally balanced and ready to take on the world? Read Battle Hymn of the Tiger Daughter, the story of one American kid, one American mother, lots of self-doubt, and eventual triumph--the American way."
--Goodreads.com
"I enjoyed it more than the Tiger Mother version! the daughter's POV is interesting. She's a smart girl without parental influence. Mom was smart to let her little ones shine on their own!"
--Goodreads.com
(Diana Holquist is the award-winning author of six novels and the parody children's book, The Rabbit Who Wants to Go to Harvard. She's won the New York Book Festival award for Best Novel; has garnered a coveted starred review from Publisher's Weekly; and, she's been a RITA and Reader's Choice Award finalist. A graduate of Columbia University, she lives in Philadelphia with her husband, two kids, and three cats. She also writes small-town women's fiction under the pseudonym Sophie Gunn.)
PRAISE FOR BOOKS BY DIANA HOLQUIST
"With characters so real, they jump off the page..."
--Doubleday Book Club
"...laughter, passion and deeply moving sentiment."
--New York Times Bestseller Robyn Carr
"...Holquist is one for the keeper shelf."
--Parksberg News and Sentinel
"A real treat for readers..."
--New York Times Bestseller Susan Wiggs
“A delightful debut...”
--Booklist, starred review
"...humor, warmth, emotions, characters that step off the page..."
--New York Times Bestseller Mariah Stewart
Five years after Amy Chua’s Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother burst onto the scene, it’s still a cultural phenomenon. The words tiger mother have entered our lexicon. But what exactly do they mean? Is a tiger mother a martyr who selflessly pushes her children to be their very best? Or is she a demented, narcissistic nut job, stealing the childhoods of her offspring to fulfill her grandiose, adult desires? This book explores that question and more, as it delves into the hilarious journey of one family who were forced by circumstances beyond their control to take a very different--very "American"--parenting path.
“(Holquist)...raises some serious issues, leaving readers’ eyes shining both with happiness and tears.”
--Library Journal
(from the back cover)
A memoir of how one family fought the myth that you have to destroy childhood to raise extraordinary adults.
What does a “successful” child look like?
If you imagined a straight-A-earning, classical-music-playing, rule-following, Ivy-bound prodigy, you’re not alone.
This is what I thought my kid should look like, too. I was determined to raise my child in this image, no matter the cost. After all, I was one of those kids. The traditional path to success sure worked for me.
But life intervened in ways I couldn’t have imagined.
I was faced with two choices: Impose my will no matter the trauma. Or, take a frightening, uncharted path—
—to where?
A sub-standard child, unable to succeed on the level I had?
Did letting up mean letting my child down?
Answering these questions took my family on a fascinating journey. What looked and felt like failure after failure on adult terms led to a different kind of success: mad creativity, fierce independence, and relentless self-direction.
In other words, everything an adult needs to make it in today’s world.
So what does a successful child look like?
She looks like my child. Maybe she also looks a lot like yours.
"Want your child to be creative, independent, mentally balanced and ready to take on the world? Read Battle Hymn of the Tiger Daughter, the story of one American kid, one American mother, lots of self-doubt, and eventual triumph--the American way."
--Goodreads.com
"I enjoyed it more than the Tiger Mother version! the daughter's POV is interesting. She's a smart girl without parental influence. Mom was smart to let her little ones shine on their own!"
--Goodreads.com
(Diana Holquist is the award-winning author of six novels and the parody children's book, The Rabbit Who Wants to Go to Harvard. She's won the New York Book Festival award for Best Novel; has garnered a coveted starred review from Publisher's Weekly; and, she's been a RITA and Reader's Choice Award finalist. A graduate of Columbia University, she lives in Philadelphia with her husband, two kids, and three cats. She also writes small-town women's fiction under the pseudonym Sophie Gunn.)
PRAISE FOR BOOKS BY DIANA HOLQUIST
"With characters so real, they jump off the page..."
--Doubleday Book Club
"...laughter, passion and deeply moving sentiment."
--New York Times Bestseller Robyn Carr
"...Holquist is one for the keeper shelf."
--Parksberg News and Sentinel
"A real treat for readers..."
--New York Times Bestseller Susan Wiggs
“A delightful debut...”
--Booklist, starred review
"...humor, warmth, emotions, characters that step off the page..."
--New York Times Bestseller Mariah Stewart
