"Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother is the book we've all been waiting for---a candid, provocative, poignant, and vicarious journey through the Chinese American family culture. It will leave you breathless with its bluntness and emotion. Amy Chua is a Tiger Mother, a greatly gifted law professor, and, ultimately, an honest, loving woman with a lot to say."---Tom BrokawBattle Hymn of the Tiger Mother is the unerringly honest, often hilarious, and always provocative story of one mother's adventure in extreme parenting. Totally at odds with Western parental indulgence, Amy Chua has made an iron-willed decision to raise her daughters, Sophia and Lulu, the Chinese way.All parents want to do what's best for their children. What Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother reveals is that the Chinese just have a completely different idea of how to do that. Western parents try to respect their children's individuality, encouraging them to pursue their true passions and providing a nurturing environment. The Chinese believe that the best way to protect their children is by preparing them for the future and arming them with skills, strong work habits, and inner confidence.Tiger mothers view childhood as a training period. For Sophia and Lulu this means Mandarin lessons, mathematics speed drills, and two to three hours daily practicing their instruments (no breaks on vacations, and double sessions on the weekends). The results are hard to argue with: both girls are exceptional students; Lulu won a statewide violin prodigy award and Sophia performed at Carnegie Hall at age fourteen.But behind these achievements there's a high price. We witness Amy threatening to burn Sophia's stuffed animals during a trying rehearsal session, and see the no-holds-barred face-offs with willful Lulu beginning when she is three years old and only escalating from there. Yet Amy demands as much of herself as she does of her daughters, and in her sacrifices---the enormous commitment of time and energy, the heartbreak and pain she's willing to endure---the depth of her love for her children shines through. Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother exposes the clash of Eastern and Western parental worldviews, but is ultimately the story of a mother's hopes for her daughters and the risks she is willing to take to invest in their future.